View source for Dolmen

{{short description|Type of single-chamber megalithic tomb}}
{{Redirect|Dyss|Cebu stations with the callsign|DYSS (disambiguation){{!}}DYSS}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Macro, Liquid drop on Feather, 70-300mm-Coupler & reverse Lens-213.jpg|thumb|[[Poulnabrone dolmen]], [[the Burren]], [[County Clare]], Ireland]]
[[File:Dolmens in Amadalavalasa.jpg|thumb|Dolmens in [[Amudalavalasa|Amadalavalasa]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], India]]

A '''dolmen''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɒ|l|m|ɛ|n}}), or '''portal tomb''', is a type of single-chamber [[Megalith#Tombs|megalithic tomb]], usually consisting of two or more upright [[megalith]]s supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the [[Late Neolithic]] period (4000{{ndash}}3000 [[BCE]]) and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a [[tumulus]] (burial mound). Small pad-stones may be wedged between the cap and supporting stones to achieve a level appearance.{{sfnp|Murphy|1997|p=43}} In many instances, the covering has eroded away, leaving only the stone "skeleton".

In [[Sumba]] (Indonesia), dolmens are still commonly built (about 100 dolmens each year) for collective graves according to lineage. The traditional village of [[Wainyapu, Sumba|Wainyapu]] has some 1,400 dolmens.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Jeunesse |first1= Christian |last2= Bec-Drelon |first2= Noisette |last3= Boulestin |first3= Bruno |last4= Denaire |first4= Anthony |date= 2021 |title= Aspects de la gestion des dolmens et des tombes collectives actuels dans les sociétés de l'île de Sumba (Indonésie) |trans-title= Ethnoarchaeology of funeral practices: aspects of the management of current dolmens and collective tombs in the tribal societies of Sumba Island (Indonesia) |journal= Préhistoires méditerranéennes |language= fr |volume= 9 |issue= 2 |pages= 165–179 (see § 8) |url= https://journals.openedition.org/pm/3098 |access-date= 2024-06-15 }}</ref>

==Etymology==

===Celtic or French===

The word ''dolmen'' entered archaeology when [[Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne]] used it to describe megalithic tombs in his {{Lang|fr|Origines gauloises}} (1796) using the spelling ''dolmin'' (the current spelling was introduced about a decade later and had become standard in French by about 1885).<ref>{{cite book|last=Bakker|first=Jan Albert|title=Megalithic Research in the Netherlands, 1547–1911|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_MQiK5ATCL1wC|year=2009|publisher=Sidestone Press|isbn=978-9088900341 |page=36}}</ref><ref>Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne, {{google books|vmpAAAAAcAAJ|Origines gauloises. Celles des plus anciens peuples de l'Europe puisées dans leur vraie source ou recherche sur la langue, l'origine et les antiquités des Celto-bretons de l'Armorique, pour servir à l'histoire ancienne et moderne de ce peuple et à celle des Français|page=PR1}}, 1796–97.</ref> Some sources indicate that dolmen is [[Breton language|Breton]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dolmen – Ancient Megalithic Structures & Archaeology |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/dolmen |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> although the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' (''OED'') describes its origin as "Modern French" and argues that de la Tour d'Auvergne used the Cornish word for a cromlech, ''tolmên'', but misspelled it as ''dolmin'',<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/dolmen_n |title=Oxford English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |orig-year=1989|year= 2024 |edition=2nd}}</ref>  and other sources refer to dolmen as a "continental term."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McGuinness |first=David |date=1996 |title=Edward Lhuyd's Contribution to the Study of Irish Megalithic Tombs |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25549806 |journal=The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland |volume=126 |pages=62–85 |jstor=25549806}}</ref>

Whatever the origin, dolmen has replaced ''[[cromlech]]'' as the usual English term in archaeology, when the more technical and descriptive alternatives are not used. The later Cornish term was [[wikt:quoit|''quoit'']] – an English-language word for an object with a hole through the middle preserving the original Cornish language term of {{Lang|kw|tolmen}} – the name of another dolmen-like monument is [[Mên-an-Tol]] 'stone with hole' (Standard Written Form: ''Men An Toll''.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/nov/12/maevkennedy1|title = Vandals threaten stone age monuments| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 12 November 1999}}</ref>

In [[Irish language|Irish]], dolmens are called {{lang|ga|dolmain}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=dolmen – Translation to Irish Gaelic with audio pronunciation of translations for dolmen by New English-Irish Dictionary|url=https://www.focloir.ie/en/dictionary/ei/dolmen|access-date=2020-11-26|website=www.focloir.ie}}</ref>

===Other languages===

Dolmens are known by a variety of names in other languages, including [[Galician language|Galician]] and {{langx|pt|anta}}, {{langx|bg|translit=Dolmeni|Долмени}}, {{langx|de|Hünengrab/Hünenbett}}, [[Afrikaans]] and {{langx|nl|hunebed}}, {{langx|eu|trikuharri}}, [[Abkhaz language|Abkhaz]]: {{Lang|ab-latn|Adamra}}, [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]]: {{Lang|ady-latn|Ispun}}

[[Danish language|Danish]] and {{langx|no|dysse}}, {{langx|sv|dös}}, {{Korean/auto|hangul=고인돌|rr=yes|lit=propped stone}}, and {{langx|he|גַלעֵד}}. [[:wikt:granja|''Granja'']] is used in [[Portugal]] and [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=  https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=14333 | title=Anta da Granja }}</ref> The forms ''anta'' and ''ganda'' also appear. In [[Catalan language|Catalan-speaking areas]], they are known simply as {{Lang|ca|dolmen}}, but also by a variety of folk names, including {{Lang|ca|cova}} ('cave'),<ref name=GEC>{{Cite GREC|dolmen|title=Dolmen}}</ref> {{Lang|ca|caixa}} ('crate' or 'coffin'),<ref name=caixa>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "caixa"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|taula}} ('table'),<ref name=taula>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "taula"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|arca}} ('chest'),<ref name=GEC/> {{Lang|ca|cabana}} ('hut'), {{Lang|ca|barraca}} ('hut'), {{Lang|ca|llosa}} ('slab'), {{Lang|ca|llosa de jaça}} ('pallet slab'),<ref>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "llosa de jaça"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|roca}} ('rock') or {{Lang|ca|pedra}} ('stone'), usually combined with a second part such as {{Lang|la|de l'alarb}} ('of the Arab'),<ref name=caixa/> {{Lang|ca|del/de moro/s}} ('of the Moor/s'),<ref name=caixa/><ref>Alcover, Antoni M.; Moll, Francesc de B. [https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp "cova"] (in Catalan). In: ''Diccionari català-valencià-balear''. Palma: Moll, 1930–1962. {{ISBN|8427300255}}.</ref> {{Lang|ca|del lladre}} ('of the thief'), {{Lang|ca|del dimoni}} ('of the devil'), {{Lang|ca|d'en Rotllà/Rotllan/Rotlan/Roldan}} ('of [[Roland]]').<ref name=taula/><ref name=caixa/> In the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]], they are attributed to the ''[[jentil]]ak'', a race of giants.

The [[etymology]] of the {{langx|de|Hünenbett, Hünengrab}} and {{langx|nl|hunebed}} – with {{Lang|de|Hüne}}''/''{{Lang|nl|hune}} meaning 'giant' – all evoke the image of [[giant]]s buried ({{Lang|de|bett}}/{{Lang|nl|bed}}/{{Lang|de|grab}} = 'bed/grave') there. Of other [[Celtic languages]], [[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{Lang|cy|cromlech}} was borrowed into English and ''quoit'' is commonly used in English in [[Cornwall]].

==Western Europe==

The oldest dolmens found in [[Western Europe]] are roughly 7,000 years old. Although archaeological evidence is unclear regarding their creators, the structures are often associated with tombs or burial chambers. Human remains, sometimes accompanied by artefacts, have been found in proximity of dolmen sites. While the remains can be analyzed with [[radiocarbon dating]], it is difficult to confirm whether said remains coincide with the date the stones were originally set in place.<ref>Lewis, S. (2009) ''Guide to the Menhirs and other Megaliths of Central Brittany'', Nezert Books, {{ISBN|978-9522705952}}</ref>

Early in the 20th century, before the advent of scientific dating, [[Harold Peake]] proposed that the dolmens of western Europe were evidence of [[cultural diffusion]] from the eastern Mediterranean. This "prospector theory" surmised that Aegean-origin prospectors had moved westward in search of metal ores, starting before 2200 BCE, and had carried with them the concept of megalithic architecture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peake |first1=Harold |title=68. The Origin of the Dolmen |journal=Man |date=1916 |volume=16 |pages=116–121 |doi=10.2307/2788934 |jstor=2788934 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2788934 |access-date=28 July 2024 |issn=0025-1496}}</ref>

==Middle East==

Dolmens can be found in the [[Levant]], some along the [[Jordan Rift Valley]] ([[Upper Galilee]] in [[Israel]], [[Palestine]], the [[Golan Heights]],<ref name="FIAA">[https://www.friendsofiaa.org/news/2020/7/12/megalithic-structures-in-the-golan-and-the-galilee-reveal-rock-art-of-a-mysterious-ancient-culture Megalithic Structures in the Golan and the Galilee Reveal Rock Art of a Mysterious Ancient Culture], Friends of the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]], New York,12 July 2020. Accessed 12 Nov 2023.</ref> [[Jordan]], [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], and southeast [[Turkey]].<ref name=Fraser18>James A. Fraser, ''Dolmens in the Levant'', 1st ed., 2018: [https://www.routledge.com/Dolmens-in-the-Levant/Fraser/p/book/9780367891954 "Description"]. Routledge homepage. Access 12 Nov 2023.</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Fraser|first=James A.|chapter=Approaching dolmens in the Levant|year=2018|chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315147796-1|title=Dolmens in the Levant|pages=3–9|location=Abingdon, Oxon|publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9781315147796-1 |isbn=9781315147796 |access-date=2021-12-22|chapter-url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Dolmens in the Levant belong to a different, unrelated tradition to that of Europe, although they are often treated "as part of a trans-regional phenomenon that spanned the [[Taurus Mountains]] to the [[Arabian Peninsula]]."<ref name=Fraser18/> In the Levant, they are of [[Early Bronze Age|Early Bronze]] rather than Late Neolithic age.<ref name=Fraser18/> They are mostly found along the Jordan Rift Valley's eastern escarpment, and in the hills of the Galilee, in clusters near Early Bronze I [[Proto-city|proto-urban settlements]] (3700–3000 BCE), additionally restricted by geology to areas allowing the quarrying of slabs of megalithic size.<ref name=Fraser18/> In the Levant, geological constraints led to a local burial tradition with a variety of tomb forms, dolmens being one of them.<ref name=Fraser18/>

==Korea==

[[File:Example of a southern-style dolmen at Ganghwa Island.jpg|thumb|Dolmen at [[Ganghwa Island]], South Korea]]

Dolmens (''go-in-dol'' in Korean) were built in Korea from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age, with about 40,000 to be found throughout the peninsula.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=고인돌 Dolmen |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0003901 |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |language=ko}}</ref> In 2000 the dolmen groups of Jukrim-ri and Dosan-ri in [[Gochang County|Gochang]], Hyosan-ri and Daesin-ri in [[Hwasun County|Hwasun]], and Bujeong-ri, Samgeori and Osang-ri in [[Ganghwa Island|Ganghwa]] gained World Cultural Heritage status.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=UNESCO>UNESCO World Heritage List. "Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites." https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/977</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-03-24 |title=Korean National Heritage Online |url=http://www.heritage.go.kr/eng/her/her_08.jsp |access-date=2023-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324210503/http://www.heritage.go.kr/eng/her/her_08.jsp |archive-date=2007-03-24 }}</ref> (See [[Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites]].)

The tens of thousands of dolmens on the [[Korean Peninsula]] account for approximately 40% of the world's total;<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last1=Jensen Jr.|first1=John|title=Earth Epochs: Cataclysms across the Holocene|publisher=John Jensen|page=276|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EfxiCAAAQBAJ&q=dolmen+in+korea+40%25&pg=PA276|access-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> the Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa dolmen sites possess over 1,000 dolmens and feature the highest concentrations of dolmens anywhere in the world.<ref name=UNESCO/>

These are mainly distributed along the West Sea coastal area and on large rivers from the Liaoning region of China (the [[Liaodong Peninsula]]) to [[South Jeolla Province|Jeollanam-do]].  In North Korea, they are concentrated around the [[Taedong River|Taedong]] and [[Chaeryong River|Jaeryeong Rivers]]. In South Korea, they are found in dense concentrations in river basins, such as the [[Han River (Korea)|Han]] and [[Nakdong River]]s, and in the west coast area ([[Boryeong]] in South Chungcheong Province, [[Buan County|Buan]] in North Jeolla Province, and Jeollanam-do.<ref name=":0" /> They are mainly found on sedimentary plains, where they are grouped in rows parallel to the direction of the river or stream.<ref name=":0" /> Those found in hilly areas are grouped in the direction of the hill.<ref name=":0" />

==India==

===Marayoor, Kerala===
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2025}}
Also called Muniyaras,<ref>{{Cite web |last=anandprince |date=2022-06-20 |title=Panchayat and police join hands to conserve 'muniyaras' on Marayoor stretch of Idukki |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/features/travel-archives/panchayat-and-police-join-hands-to-conserve-muniyaras-in-marayoor-stretch-of-idukki-5eb59613 |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=@mathrubhumi |language=en}}</ref> these dolmens belong to the [[Iron Age]]. These dolmenoids were burial chambers made of four stones placed on edge and covered by a fifth stone called the cap stone. Some of these [[Dolmenoids]] contain several burial chambers, while others have a quadrangle scooped out in laterite and lined on the sides with granite slabs. These are also covered with cap stones. Dozens of dolmens around the area of old Siva temple (Thenkasinathan Temple) at Kovilkadavu on the banks of the River Pambar and also around the area called Pius nagar, and rock paintings on the south-western slope of the plateau overlooking the river have attracted visitors.

Apart from the dolmens from the Stone Age, several dolmens from the Iron Age exist in this region, particularly on the left side of the Pambar River, as evidenced by the use of neatly dressed granite slabs for the dolmens. At least one of these dolmens features a perfectly circular hole with a diameter of 28&nbsp;cm inside the underground chamber. This region contains various types of dolmens. A large number of them are above ground, with heights ranging from 70 to 90&nbsp;cm. Another type has a height of 140 to 170&nbsp;cm. There is also an above-ground dolmen with a double length of up to 350&nbsp;cm. Fragments of burial urns can be found in the area near the dolmens, indicating that the dolmens with heights of 70 to 90&nbsp;cm were used for the burial of individuals of high social status, while burial urns were used for the remains of commoners. The dolmens with raised roofs may have served as habitation for people. However, the reasons why some individuals lived in cemeteries have not been satisfactorily explained.

==Types==

* {{annotated link|Great dolmen}}
* {{Annotated link|Inuksuk}}
* {{annotated link|Polygonal dolmen}}
* {{annotated link|Rectangular dolmen}}
* {{annotated link|Simple dolmen}}

<gallery widths="150" heights="100" class="center">
File:Trethevy Quoit from the South - geograph.org.uk - 362250.jpg|[[Trethevy Quoit]]  – one of the best-preserved in [[Cornwall]], UK dated to around 3500–2500 BCE
File:Chûn Quoit (small).jpg|[[Chûn Quoit]] in Cornwall, UK, about 2400 BCE
File:Lanyon Quoit 05.jpg|[[Lanyon Quoit]] in Cornwall, UK, 3500–2500 BCE
File:MarayoorDolmen.JPG|A dolmen erected by Neolithic people in [[Marayur]], [[Kerala, India]].
File:Muniyara.jpg|Dolmens of [[Marayoor]], India.
File:Example of a southern-style dolmen at Ganghwa Island.jpg|A southern-style dolmen at [[Ganghwa Island]], [[South Korea]]
File:Korea-Hwasun Dolmen sites03.jpg|The biggest dolmen near [[Hwasun]], [[South Korea]]
File:Dolmen Roch-Feutet.JPG|The dolmen Er-Roc'h-Feutet in [[Carnac]], [[Brittany]], France
File:Crucuno dolmen.jpg|Crucuno dolmen in [[Plouharnel]], Brittany, France
File:KilclooneyDolmen1986.jpg|[[Kilclooney More]] dolmen near [[Ardara, County Donegal]], Ireland
File:LG Dolmen1.JPG|[[Lancken-Granitz dolmen]], Germany
File:Hunebed-d27.jpg|T-shaped Hunebed D27 in [[Borger-Odoorn]], Netherlands
File:Antadaaboboreira.jpg|Dólmen da Aboboreira, [[Baião Municipality|Baião]], Portugal
File:Dolmen di Avola.JPG|Dolmen of Avola, Sicily
File:Bisceglie dolmen della chianca 5.JPG|Dolmen of [[Bisceglie]], [[Apulia]]
File:12i dolmen di Montalbano.jpg|Dolmen of Fasano, Apulia
File:Tinkinswood burial chamber (4787).jpg|[[Tinkinswood]], [[Vale of Glamorgan]], Wales, around 3000 BCE
File:Dolmen de Axeitos.jpg|Dolmen of [[Oleiros, Spain|Oleiros]], Galicia
File:Mores02.jpg|Dolmen Sa Coveccada, [[Mores, Sardinia]]
File:Dolmen Russia Kavkaz Jane 1.jpg|[[Russia]]
File:Долмен Начови чаири.jpg|[[Bulgaria]]
File:Dolmen-Keriaval.jpg|Keriaval Dolmen, [[Carnac]], [[Brittany]], France
</gallery>

==See also==

{{Div col}}
* [[Irish megalithic tombs]]
* [[List of dolmens]]
* [[List of megalithic sites]]
* [[Megalithic art]]
* [[Neolithic Europe]]
* [[Nordic megalith architecture]]
* [[Stupa]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

===Works cited===

* {{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Cornelius |title=The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork |publisher=Department of Archaeology, [[University College Cork]] |year=1997}}{{missing ISBN}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite book |last=Cooney |first=Gabriel |title=Death in Irish Prehistory |place=Dublin |publisher=[[Royal Irish Academy]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-8020-5009-7 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book|last=Holcombe|first=Charles|title=A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century |year=2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0521515955 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Knight |first=Peter |title=Ancient Stones of Dorset |year=1996 |publisher=Power Publications |isbn=978-1898073123 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last1=Piccolo |first1=Salvatore |first2=Jean |last2= Woodhouse|title=Ancient Stones: The Prehistoric Dolmens of Sicily |year=2013 |publisher=Brazen Head Publishing |isbn=978-0956510624 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wiktionary|dolmen}}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070324210503/http://www.heritage.go.kr/eng/her/her_08.jsp World heritage site of dolmen in Korea]
* [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/ The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map]
* {{cite web|url= https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/977 |title=Dolmen (''Goindol'') sites in Korea }} on [[UNESCO]]'s [[World Heritage List]].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080116083508/http://www.jerseyheritagetrust.org/sites/hougue%20bie/hougue.html Jersey Heritage Trust]

{{European Standing Stones}}
{{Neolithic Europe}}
{{Prehistoric technology}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Burial monuments and structures]]
[[Category:Dolmens| ]]
[[Category:Death customs]]
[[Category:Megalithic monuments]]
[[Category:Megalithic monuments in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Stones]]
[[Category:Stone Age Europe]]
[[Category:Stone monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:Types of monuments and memorials]]
[[Category:4th-millennium BC architecture]]