Brownshill dolmen facts for kids
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Dolmain Chnoc an Bhrúnaigh
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| Location | Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland |
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| Type | Portal tomb |
| Length | 6.1 m (20 ft) |
| Width | 4.7 m (15 ft) |
| Height | 3.5 m (11 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Periods | Megalithic |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | Public |
| Reference #: | 613 |
Brownshill Dolmen, also known as Dolmain Chnoc an Bhrúnaigh in Irish, is a super old and very big stone structure in County Carlow, Ireland. It's about 3 kilometers (less than 2 miles) east of Carlow town. This amazing site is a type of ancient burial place called a portal tomb.
What makes it really special is its huge top stone, called a capstone. This capstone weighs around 100 metric tons, which is like 100 small cars! People say it's the heaviest capstone in all of Europe. Brownshill Dolmen is so important that it's protected as a National Monument. It's sometimes called the Kernanstown Cromlech and gets its name from the Browne family, who used to own the land.
What is Brownshill Dolmen?
Brownshill Dolmen is an ancient structure built by people long ago. It was created between 4000 and 3000 BC. This means it's over 5,000 years old! It's a type of megalith, which is a fancy word for a very large stone used in ancient buildings.
This special tomb has a burial chamber. This chamber is made from two huge upright stones. These stones are called orthostats. They hold up the giant granite capstone, which acts like the roof of the chamber.
How Was It Built?
Imagine trying to lift a stone as heavy as 100 cars! It's a mystery how ancient people moved and placed such a massive capstone. Experts believe they might have used ramps made of earth. They would have slowly pushed or rolled the huge stone up the ramp. Once the capstone was in place, the earth mound around it might have been removed.
The capstone was probably covered by a large mound of earth. This would have made the tomb look like a small hill. A special gate stone used to block the entrance to the burial chamber.
What Can You See Today?
Today, you can still see the main parts of Brownshill Dolmen. The two tall portal stones and the gate-stone are still standing exactly where they were placed thousands of years ago. This is called being in situ. The huge capstone rests on top of the portal stones and the gate-stone. It slopes down to the ground away from the entrance.
Archaeologists have not dug up or excavated this dolmen. However, there is another upright stone standing nearby. This fourth stone might be what's left of an old forecourt. A forecourt would have been an open area in front of the tomb.
