Concept in Definition ABC

A dolmen it's a kind of building megalithic composed of one or more stones laid flat on two or more vertical stones.

The result of this interposition of stones is a chamber, which, in most cases, is surrounded by a pile of earth or stones that cover the vertical slabs and somehow give an idea of a hill.
In the Breton language, spoken in the French region of Brittany, where this construction has been very popular, dolmen means large stone table.

The dolmens are typical of the Western Europe, especially regarding his coast Atlantic concerned and were mostly built towards the end of the period neolithic and the chalcolithic. The use that was fundamentally given to it at this time was that of collective grave.

The simplest and most characteristic model of dolmen is that of two or more vertical stones on which a in a horizontal position and in the surroundings of the construction it is accompanied by stones of dimensions important. Meanwhile, the aforementioned was not the only type of dolmen, it is also possible to find the dolmen known as

corridor grave, since the dolmen traditional a corridor is added that connects it with the outside, making avenue or street so that the funeral procession can parade.
Another type also present is that of the Gallery, whose development is supposed to be later than the two mentioned above. In this the corridor is not different from the chamber and presents pillars, antecedents of the later columns of the temples. The purpose of the pillars was to support the heavy covers.

The dolmen represents the first antecedent of human constructive capacity, successfully fulfilling the enormous challenge to keep the structure up.

Themes in Dolmen