Megalithic Conference Stone Age technology will be making a big comeback in northern New York (USA) this summer. Earthwood Building School, together with Plattsburgh State University's Department of Anthropology, will be hosting the first international megalithic conference, August 7-11, 2007. Morning sessions at the college will consist of presentations by some of the world's foremost experts in megalithic engineering, including: Pavel Pavel - Czech Republic, known for his work with Thor Heyerdahl 'walking' the Easter Island moai to their platforms and as well as other major megalithic work in his home country; Vince Lee - USA, probably the world's leading expert on the Incan stonework at places like Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo near Cuzco in Peru; Gordon Pipes - England, best known for developing the technique of 'rowing' stones along the countryside with levers, as opposed to rolling them, but has conducted many other experiments in megalith moving for major TV programs like National Geographic and Nova; Ivan McBeth - England, he has built over a dozen stone circles around the world, in England, Australia, Canada and the United States; Rob Roy - USA, he is the author of Stone Circles: A Modern Builder's Guide to the Megalithic Revival  and twelve other books on alternative building; and Doug Kerr - USA, who learned stone moving at workshops conducted by Rob Roy and Ivan McBeth and will be a major player in MegaCo/07's primary demonstration project, the Earthwood Trilithon.
     After lunch, MegaCo/07 becomes more of a Megalithics Workshop than a conference, with hands-on stone-moving and raising demonstrations at Earthwood. The major project will be the raising of the 5.2-ton trilthon capstone onto two existing uprights standing eight feet above the ground at Earthwood. The 5.6-ton uprights were raised by Roy, McBeth and Kerr at megalithic workshops in 2004 and 2005. Other projects will include transporting megaliths by Gordon Pipes' rowing method, and - as an alternative method of raising Stone C - a demonstration of Pavel Pavel's wooden ramp and levering technique.
    Registration for MegaCo/07 is limited to 40 participants over and above the speakers and organizers, and costs $480 per individual or $880 per couple. Registration for the conference is through Earthwood Building School. Go to Earthwood's website and Register for Workshops.

Source: Natural Homes (March 2007)