Poulnabrone dolmen in County Clare, Ireland

A dolmen (also known as cromlech, anta, Hünengrab, Hunebed, quoit, and portal dolmen) is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones (megaliths) supporting a large flat horizontal capstone (table). Most date from the early Neolithic period (4000 BC to 3000 BC). Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow, though in many cases that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone 'skeleton' of the burial mound intact. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 182 KB)Paulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, Ireland downloaded from pdphoto. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 182 KB)Paulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, Ireland downloaded from pdphoto. ... Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren Poulnabrone Dolmen is an ancient portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland, dating back to the Neolithic period, probably between 3800 BC to 3200 BC. It comprises a 12 foot tabular capstone supported by two slender portal stones and is bordered by a nearby... County Clare (Contae an Chláir in Irish) is in the Irish province of Munster. ... Dolmen is a french TV miniseries, consisting of six 90 minutes-long episodes, and starring Ingrid Chauvin. ... Large T shaped Hunebed D27 in Borger-Odoorn, Netherlands. ... Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany Bronze age wedge tomb in the Burren area of Ireland For the record label, see Megalith Records. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) Events City of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC). ... (31st century BC - 30th century BC - 29th century BC - other centuries) (4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC - 2nd millennium BC) Events 2925 - 2776 BC - First Dynasty wars in Egypt 2900 BC - Beginning of the Early Dynastic Period I in Mesopotamia. ... A tumulus (plural tumuli, from the Latin word for mound or small hill, from the root to bulge, swell also found in ) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. ...

Etymology

Dolmen originates from the expression taol maen, which means "stone table" in Breton, and was first used archaeologically by Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne. The etymology of the German Hünenbett or Hünengrab and Dutch Hunebed (lit. Huns' beds) all invoke the imagery of giants building the structures. Of other Celtic languages, "cromlech" derives from Welsh and "quoit" is commonly used in Cornwall. Anta is the term used in Portugal and dös in Sweden. Breton (Brezhoneg) is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany (Breizh) in France. ... Théophile Malo Corret de la Tour dAuvergne (23 November 1743 in Carhaix, Brittany - 28 June 1800) was a Grenadier officer in the French army. ... Not to be confused with Entomology, the scientific study of insects. ... The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads. ... Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ... The Celtic languages are the languages descended from Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, a branch of the greater Indo-European language family. ... T shaped Hunebed D27 in Borger-Odoorn, Netherlands, recent. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ...

Dolmen sites

T-shaped Hunebed D27 in Borger-Odoorn, Netherlands.

Dolmen da Aboboreira, Baião, Portugal.

The dolmen Er-Roc'h-Feutet in Carnac, Brittany, France.

Hunebed D27 in Drenthe, Netherlands. ... Hunebed D27 in Drenthe, Netherlands. ... Borger-Odoorn is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. ... Image File history File links Antadaaboboreira. ... Image File history File links Antadaaboboreira. ... The baião is a Northeast Brazilian rhythmic formula that became the basis of a wide range of music. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2848x2136, 1461 KB) Summary Dolmen near Carnac, France, known as Roch-Feutet (inscription in photo), or er-Roch-Feutet (tourist map). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2848x2136, 1461 KB) Summary Dolmen near Carnac, France, known as Roch-Feutet (inscription in photo), or er-Roch-Feutet (tourist map). ... Carnac is a village and commune beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany () and part of the Morbihan département of northwestern France. ... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ...

Europe

Megalithic tombs are found from the Baltic Sea and North Sea coasts, south to Spain and Portugal. Hunebedden are chamber tombs similar to dolmens and date to the middle Neolithic (Funnelbeaker culture, 4th millennium BC). They consist of a kerb surrounding an oval mound which covered a rectangular chamber of stones with the entrance on one of the long sides. Some have a more complex layout and include an entrance passage giving them a T-shape. It has been suggested that this means they are related to the Passage graves found in Denmark and elsewhere. Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. ... For the New York prison see The Tombs. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... The Funnelbeaker culture is the archeological designation for a late Neolithic culture in what is now northern Germany, the Netherlands, southern Scandinavia and Poland. ... The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. ... // In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. ... In geometry, an oval or ovoid (from Latin ovum, egg) is any curve resembling an egg or an ellipse. ... In geometry, a rectangle is defined as a quadrilateral where all four of its angles are right angles. ... A passage tomb near the town of Sligo in Ireland A Passage grave (sometimes hyphenated) or Passage tomb is a tomb, usually dating to the Neolithic, where the burial chamber is reached along a distinct, and usually low, passage. ...

Dolmen sites fringe the Irish Sea and are found in south east Ireland, Wales and Cornwall. In Ireland, however, dolmens are more to be found on the west coast, particularly the Burren and Connemara, where some of the more well known examples, such as Poulnabrone, are to be found. Examples have also been found in northern Ireland where they may have co-existed with the Court cairn tombs. It is thought that the dolmens themselves evolved from a simpler cist burial method. Relief map of the Irish Sea. ... This article is about the country. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Geography of Ireland ... Connemara (Irish Conamara), which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea), is a district in the west of Ireland (County Galway). ... The Court cairn is a variety of megalithic chamber tomb found in south west Scotland and central and northern Ireland. ... A cist (IPA ) is a small stone-built coffin-like box used to hold the bodies of the dead (notably during the Bronze Age in Britain and occasionally in Native American burials). ...

Amongst the vast Neolithic collections of the Carnac stones, in Brittany, France, several dozen dolmens are found. And all around the country, several dolmens stand still, such as the ones of Passebonneau and des Gorces near Saint-Benoît-du-Sault. The Menec alignments, the most well-known megalithic site amongst the Carnac stones. ... Historical province of Brittany, showing the main areas with their name in Breton language The traditional flag of Brittany (the Gwenn-ha-du), formerly a Breton nationalist symbol but today used as a general civic flag in the region. ... Saint-Benoît-du-Sault is a little town and commune of the Indre département, in central France. ...

In Spain dolmens can be found in Galicia (such as Axeitos, pictured below), Catalonia (like Romanyà de la Selva or Creu d'en Cobertella) and Andalusia (like the Cueva de Menga). Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Anthem: Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan,Spanish and Aranese. ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... Interior of the chamber Entrance The Cueva de Menga, or Dolmen of Menga is a megalithic burial mound, barrows or dolmen, dating from the 3rd millennium BCE. It is placed at the surroundings of Antequera, Spain. ...

Many dolmens can be found all over Portugal, from the more simple ones to the more complex examples of megalithic architecture, such as the Almendres Cromlech or the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro. View of the Almendres Cromlech The Almendres Cromlech megalithic complex, located near Evora - Portugal, is one mankind’s first public monuments. ... View of the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro Anta Grande do Zambujeiro is a megalithic monument located near Evora - Portugal, one of the biggest existing in the Iberian Peninsula. ...

In Mecklenburg and Pomerania (Germany) and Drenthe (Netherlands), large numbers of these graves were disturbed when harbours, towns and cities were built. The boulders were used in construction and road building. There are still many thousands left today in Europe; for example, more than a thousand on the island of Rügen alone. The name Mecklenburg derives from a castle named Mikilenburg (Old German: big castle), located between the cities of Schwerin and Wismar. ... Pommern redirects here. ... For the Dutch footballer, see Royston Drenthe. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Mountain road with hairpin turns in the French Alps For other uses, see Road (disambiguation). ... Map of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania highlighting the district Rügen Rügen (Polish: Rugia) is an island located off the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the Baltic Sea. ...

In Italy dolmen can be found in the south (Puglia) and in Sardinia. Apulia is a region of Italy (called Puglia in Italian), bordering on Molise to the north-west, Campania to the south-west, Basilicata to the south, the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south-east. ... For the place in the United States, see Sardinia, Ohio. ...

In Bulgaria there are many dolmens and more are being drecorded by archaeologists.

The largest dolmen in Europe is the Brownshill Dolmen in County Carlow, Ireland. Its capstone weighs about 150 tonnes. Brownshill Dolmen Gate-stone flanked by the two portal stones supporting the capstone The Brownshill Dolmen (Dolmain Chnoc an Bhrúnaigh in Irish) is situated 3 km east of Carlow Town in County Carlow, Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Carlow Code: CW Area: 896 km² Population (2006) 50,471 Website: www. ...

Asia

Dolmens of Marayoor, South India

Similar tombs can be found all over the world. Korea has many of the Asian dolmens, dating from the 1st millennium BC. The dolmen in Ganghwa is a northern-type, table-shaped dolmen where ancestral rites were held. It is the biggest stone of this kind in South Korea, measuring 2.6 by 7.1 by 5.5 metres. The number of dolmens in North and South Korea, approximately 30,000, is about 40% of the total number of dolmens in the world. There are also dolmens in Kerala, India, about 7 km from Marayoor, Kerala, near a small village of Pious Nagar, also known as Alinchuvad. These dolmens are set in clusters of two to five dolmens obviously for the burial of a family. There are hundreds of such dolmen clusters in the area. Apart from overground dolmens, underground burial chambers built with dressed stone slabs are also discovered in Marayoor. All these dolmens are made from heavy granite slabs, mined using primitive technology. This was a burial ground for several centuries for a noble tribal dynasty known as Adi Cheras. Image File history File linksMetadata Muniyara. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Muniyara. ... Marayoor is one of the famous tourist spots in the Idukki District of Kerala state, South India. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the two Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires. ... -1... This article is about the unit of length. ... Marayoor is one of the famous tourist spots in the Idukki District of Kerala state, South India. ...

Middle East

Dolmens are also found in Syria, and Jordan .

Eurasia

See also: Dolmens of Russia

Over 3000 dolmens and other structures can be found in the North-Western Caucasus region of Russia, where more and more dolmens are discovered in the mountains each year. Concentrations of megaliths, dolmens and stone labyrinths have been found (but little studied) along Russia’s northern shores with the White Sea and the Barents Sea as well as throughout the Caucasus Mountains. ...

Other photos

Ganghwa dolmen, South Korea Image File history File links Dolmen_ganghwa_korea1. ... -1...	Dolmen near the Jane river, Russia Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (600x800, 165 KB) Правый дольмен комплекса на реке Жане. Окрестности Геленджика, Кавказ, Россия. A dolmen in Jane Valley, Caucasia; about 3,000 BC. Фото Unwrecker, сентябрь 2004. ...	Dolmen near the Jane River, Russia Image File history File links Dolmen_Russia_Kavkaz_Jane_2. ...	Dolmen near the Pshada River, Russia Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Knocknakilla Dolmen, Ireland Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1424x788, 764 KB)[edit] Summary Knocknakilla Dolmen [edit] Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... View of the Standing Stone at the main Complex Knocknakilla (Grid Ref: W297843) is a 3500 year old megalithic complex set in blanket peatland on the NW upper slopes of Musherabeg mountain, between Macroom and Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland. ...	Wedge Tomb at Glantane east, Ireland Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1476x916, 198 KB)[edit] Summary Wedge Tomb loccated in Glantane, Co Cork, Ireland [edit] Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation... Wedge tomb at Glantane View of the Standing Stone at Glantane Glantane East (Grid Ref: W277830) is a 3500 year old megalithic complex set in in the Keel River valley on the NW upper slopes of Musherabeg mountain, near Carriganimmy, County Cork, Ireland. ...	Dolmen de Axeitos, Galicia, Spain. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 726 KB) Summary Taken by Dannycas. ... Motto: Galiza Ceibe Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  &#8211...	Chûn Quoit, in Penwith, Cornwall, UK. Image File history File links Chûn_Quoit_(small). ... Satellite image of the Penwith peninsula farmland in St Buryan parish looking south towards the sea Cattle being raised in the south of the district Aerial photo looking across Lands End to Cape Cornwall Celtic cross near St Loys Cove, St Buryan Rocky cove at St Loy in... For other uses, see Cornwall (disambiguation). ...
Hunebed of Noordlaren (G1) The Netherlands. Image File history File links Hunebednoordlaren. ... Noordlaren is a small village/town in the Dutch province of Groningen. ... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain...	Poulnabrone dolmen, Ireland. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2281x1725, 131 KB) November 2005, Danny Burke File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Dolmen Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or...	Cova d'Endaina, Romanya de la Selva, Catalunya, Spain. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

See also

• Dolmen deity
• European Megalithic Culture
• Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites
• Menhir
• Neolithic Europe
• Stone circle

A dolmen deity is the name given by archaeologists to a humanoid figure sometimes seen in the megalithic art cut into the walls of chamber tombs in western Europe, especially those of Symbolkeramik users in Spain. ... Development of the European Megalithic Culture The European Megalithic Culture was a prehistoric (and preliterate) civilisation based primarily in Western Europe, that has left a legacy of large stone monuments, or megaliths, scattered widely across the continent. ... The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are the location of hundreds of stone dolmen which were used as grave markers and for ritual purposes during the first millennium BCE when the Megalithic Culture was prominent on the Korean Peninsula. ... -1... Map showing the Neolithic expansions from the 7th to the 5th millennium BC Europe in ca. ... Swinside stone circle, in the Lake District, England. ...

References

• Trifonov, V., 2006. Russia's megaliths: unearthing the lost prehistoric tombs of Caucasian warlords in the Zhane valley. St.Petersburg: The Institute for Study of Material Culture History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Available from [1]
• Kudin, M., 2001. Dolmeni i ritual. Dolmen Path - Russian Megaliths. Available from [2]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Dolmen

Look up dolmen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Some monuments with QTVR panoramic views in Archeologia Sarda
• Dolmens, Menhirs & Stones-Circles in the South of France in French and English
• (Dutch) Pictures of Hunebedden in the Netherlands
• Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland
• Dolmen (Goindol) sites in KoreaPDF on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
• Dolmen Pictures by Robert Triest.
• Russian Megaliths
• Legananny Dolmen, Ireland
• World heritage site of dolmen in Korea

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