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cyclopean |
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Cyclopean (sīkləpē`ən), name often applied to a primitive method of prehistoric masonry construction, found throughout Greece, Italy, and the Middle East. The term is derived from Cyclopes, the mythological beings who were supposed to have built walls in this manner. The Cyclopean technique involves the use of huge, irregular boulders, carefully fitted together without the use of mortar, thereby creating a massive wall with an uneven face. These walls were characteristic of Mycenaean civilization Mycenaean civilization (mīsēnē`ən), an ancient Aegean civilization known from the excavations at Mycenae and other sites. ..... Click the link for more information. . Remaining examples are found at Knossos, Mycenae, Tiryns, and Athens. There are many Cyclopean walls in Etruscan and Anatolian architecture. Somewhat similar examples are seen in China, Japan, and Peru. cyclopean [¦sī·klə¦pē·ən] (materials) Mass concrete with aggregate larger than 6 inches (15 centimeters); used for thick structures such as dams. (petrology) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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President Barbicane and the members of the Gun Club warmly congratulated their engineer Murchison; the cyclopean work had been accomplished with extraordinary rapidity. The engineering difficulties were great, the dredging and filling a cyclopean task. The day was glowing hot, and the scrambling over the rough surface and through the intricate thickets, was very fatiguing; but I was well repaid by the strange Cyclopean scene. |
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