What are menhirs and dolmens?
A Menhir is a tall, vertically placed standing stone, whilst a Dolmen is a table-like structure comprising a large slab laid horizontally on two smaller stone supports (orthostats). These burial monuments can take various forms, and include ‘passage’ dolmens.
What was the purpose of the dolmen?
Dolmens date from about 2,500 BC and tend to have a large concentration in eastern areas of Ireland along the coast. They were used to commemorate the dead and also may have acted as centres for various ceremonies in the area.
Where are the oldest dolmens found?
A dolmen is a megalithic structure typically formed from a large horizontal stone slab resting on two or more upright slabs. The oldest European examples are found in Brittany, northern France, and date to the 5th millennium BCE.
How are the menhirs arranged?
Menhirs were often arranged in circles (Cycoliths) (see for instance Stonehenge, Avebury, and Ring of Brodgar), semi-circles, large-scale ellipses or in parallel rows called alignments (see the 3000 or so menhirs positoned in Carnac, Brittany, in France).
What were menhirs used for?
Over the centuries, they have variously been thought to have been used by Druids for human sacrifice, used as territorial markers, or elements of a complex ideological system, used as mnemonic systems for oral cultures, or functioned as early calendars.
Where are the Stonehenges located?
Stonehenge, prehistoric stone circle monument, cemetery, and archaeological site located on Salisbury Plain, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.
Where are menhirs located?
They are widely distributed across Europe, Africa and Asia, but are most numerous in Western Europe; particularly in Ireland, Great Britain and Brittany, where there are about 50,000 examples, and there are 1,200 menhirs in northwest France alone. Standing stones are usually difficult to date.
