The Neolitihic dolmen at Poulnabrone, The Burren, Clare, Ireland
Poulnabrone dolmen (Pol na Bron in Irish, Hollow of the Millstone in English) is an ancient portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland, dating back to the Neolithic period. It consists of a twelve foot tabular capstone supported by two slender portal stones, and bordered by a nearby cairn. The cairn helped stabilize the tomb, and would have been much higher originally.
A crack was discovered in one of the portal stones in 1985. Following the resulting collapse, the dolmen was dismantled, and the cracked stone was replaced. Excavations during this time found that at least 33 adults and children were buried under the monument. Personal items buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery.
The people buried in the chamber lived between 4200-2900BC. A thousand years later a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance.
See my entry on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulnabrone_dolmen
Jul 27, 2007
Photos: 8
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