Poulnabrone

Poulnabrone is a portal tomb in the region known as the Burren, County Clare, Ireland and the oldest dated megalithic monument in the land. The name means “Hole of the Quern Stones”, but the site is also commonly referred to as “Hole of the Sorrows”. Dated to c. 4200 BCE it stands 5.9 feet high (1.8 meters) and 12 feet (3.6 meters) long in a field surrounded by the karst stone formations which make up the Burren. It is defined as a dolmen: a single-chamber, megalithic tomb distinguished by a capstone resting on upright stones.

It is the best known and most often photographed of the almost 200 dolmens in Ireland because of its near perfect symmetry. Excavations at the site in the 1980’s CE uncovered human remains and grave goods, establishing the site as an ancient tomb, but it may have served other purposes as well. Dr. Carleton Jones, who worked at the site, suggests it may have been an “ancient billboard” as well as a tomb marking the territory of the tribe of the Burren.

Construction of the Megalith

The stones used in construction were raised from the local area, although theories have persisted that they were brought from further afield, and were then assembled with perfect balance and precision using no concrete and no compounds whatsoever. The massive capstone of Poulnabrone rests on five upright stones: two portal stones, two orthostats (upright stones), and an end stone. Archaeologists who have worked at the site since the first excavations in 1986 have concluded that Poulnabrone was erected as a doorway between this world and the next based upon artifacts uncovered there and the slant of the capstone.

The burial chamber measures 9 inches (25 cm) deep, though archaeologists believe it was once deeper — 21.6 inches (55 cm). In 1985 CE the capstone cracked and the dolmen collapsed; this provided archaeologists with the opportunity to excavate the site thoroughly without worrying about disturbing the dolmen’s delicate position. When the work was concluded, the capstone was repaired and Poulnabrone reassembled precisely as it had been before.

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