Ireland

Meehambee Dolmen

Neolithic portal tomb in County Roscommon

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Historical Context

About

The Meehambee Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb dating from about 3500 BC located in County Roscommon, Ireland. Two local schoolchildren unearthed two stone axes in the 1960s. Initially supported on six upright portals, 2.3 metres high, the capstone is estimated to weigh twenty-four tonnes. The portal stone supporting the back of the capstone has collapsed, allowing the capstone to slide backward out of position and causing the doorstone to collapse. As a result, the capstone now rests at a 45-degree angle. It is thought that these tombs, of which over 1,200 have been identified in Ireland, were either the burial place of a single important king or chieftain or perhaps the tombs of several tribe members who inhabited the area in the Neolithic era. It was known locally as Leabaidh Éirn in the 1930s.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
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Axes discovered

1960s

Construction

c. 3500 BC

Classification

Archaeological Features

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category

Burial and Funerary Structures

DolmensTombs
category

Transportation and Communication Structures

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Reference

Details

Country

Ireland

Coordinates

53.41° N, -8.02° E