dolmen

dol·men

D0330100 (dōl′mən, dŏl′-)n. A Neolithic tomb consisting of two or more upright stones with a capstone, believed to have been buried in earth except for a central opening.

[French (introduced in 1792 as a technical term by Théophile Malo de La Tour d'Auvergne-Corret, French soldier and antiquarian ), either from Cornish dolmen, form (with grammatical mutation of the initial consonant) of tolmen, dolmen, literally "hole of stone" (Cornish tol, hole (since people or animals can pass under a dolmen); akin to Welsh twll and Old Irish toll + Cornish men, stone; akin to Breton maen; see menhir), or from misinterpretation of Breton *daolvaen, form (with grammatical mutation of the initial consonant) of *taolvaen, literally, "table of stone" (Breton taol, table from Middle Breton, from Latin tabula, board + Breton maen, stone; see menhir).]

dolmen

(ˈdɒlmɛn) n1. (Archaeology) (in British archaeology) a Neolithic stone formation, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb2. (Archaeology) (in French archaeology) any megalithic tomb[C19: from French, probably from Old Breton tol table, from Latin tabula board + Breton mēn stone, of Celtic origin; see table]

dol•men

(ˈdoʊl mɛn, -mən, ˈdɒl-)

n. a structure usu. regarded as a tomb, consisting of two or more large, upright stones set with a space between and capped by a horizontal stone. [1855–60; < French < Cornish, variant (by lenition) of tolmen hole of stone (taken by French archaeologists to mean cromlech)] dol•men′ic, adj.

dolmen

a construction consisting of two or more upright stones with a third on top, regarded by archaeologists as an ancient tomb or monument.See also: Stones

dolmen

A Neolithic structure consisting of a large flat stone supported horizontally on two or more upright stones, thought to have been used as a tomb.

Thesaurus

Noun

dolmen - a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstonecromlech, portal tombmegalith, megalithic structure - memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)

Translations

dolmendolmenдольмен

dolmen

(dŏl`mĕn, dōl–) [Breton,=stone table], burial chamber consisting of two or more upright stone slabs supporting a capstone or table, typical of the Neolithic period in Europe. See megalithic monumentsmegalithic monument
[Gr.,=large stone], in archaeology, a construction involving one or several roughly hewn stone slabs of great size; it is usually of prehistoric antiquity.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Dolmen

Several large stones capped with a covering slab, as those erected in prehistoric times.

Dolmen

an ancient burial structure, one of the types of megalithic structures. Dolmens were built from huge stone slabs weighing tens of thousands of kilograms placed vertically and supporting one or several flat slabs. They were one of the first examples of integral architectural composition based on the laws of architectonics. Dolmens usually contained the remains of several dead with stone or bronze weapons and ornaments. Some dolmens were used for burials over a few decades or even centuries. It is assumed that they were originally constructed for the burial of tribal elders. According to another hypothesis, they initially served as tribal sanctuaries and only later were converted into burial places. Dolmens are widespread in the coastal regions of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. In the USSR they are found along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the Crimea. In Europe and North Africa dolmens date from the Bronze Age; in India and Japan, from the Iron Age; and in the Caucasus, from the Early and Middle Bronze Age (the second and third millennia B.C.), with some built as late as the first millennium B.C.

REFERENCES

Kuftin, B. A. MaterialykarkheologiiKolkhidy, vol. 1. Tbilisi, 1949. Lavrov, L. I. “Dol’meny severo-zapadnogo Kavkaza.” In Tr. Aokhazkogo instituta iazyka, literatury i istorii, vol. 31. Sukhumi, 1960.
Childe, V. G. U istokov evropeiskoi tsivilizatsii. Moscow, 1952. (Translated from English.)
Vseobshchaia istoriia arkhitektury, vol. 1. Moscow, 1944. Pages 24-25.

A. L. MONGAIT

dolmen, table stone

A prehistoric tomb of standing stones, usually capped with a large horizontal slab.

dolmen

1. (in British archaeology) a Neolithic stone formation, consisting of a horizontal stone supported by several vertical stones, and thought to be a tomb 2. (in French archaeology) any megalithic tomb

dolmen

dol·men

dolmen

dol•men

dolmen

dolmen

dolmen

dolmen

Dolmen

Dolmen

REFERENCES

dolmen, table stone

dolmen

DOLMEN

dolmen

Synonyms for dolmen

noun a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone

Synonyms

Related Words