Stone slab facts for kids
A stone slab is a big stone, flat and of little thickness, that are generally used for paving floors, for covering walls or as headstones.
Other definitions refine the meaning a bit more:
- Flat big stone and of little thickness.
- Flat stone, relatively thin, of rectangular form or almost rectangular...
Contents
Slabs used in dolmens
Most dolmen constructions they were build using stone slabs of big dimensions. Their architecture often includes a corridor of access that can be constructed usins stone slabs or dry stones. The burial chamber, with variable shapes (rectangular, polygonal, oval, circular ...) can also be preceded by an anteroom. In some dolmens, the entrance has a door cut into one or more vertical stone slabs.
Slabs in the construction
The main applications of the slabs as material of construction are for pavings and in the construction of roofs. But they can be employed for other uses, among them:
- Balconies formed from a slab
- Dry stone constructions of : walls, caves, rooms.
- The base of some some fireplaces are build with stone slabs (a big one or some smaller together).
- In religious altars, the altar stone can be a stone slab, more or less elaborated or in its natural state.
- In rustic tables.
- Slate slabs used for roofs.
Slabs in the gastronomy
A system to cook the foods is “to the slab”. In like manner to the systems of “to the iron” or “grilled”, in the procedure to bake to the slab the foods course (meat, fish, vegetables,...) They put on a slab hot on of the fire. With oil, butter or lard and all the aditaments with that want to dress the teak.
- This system was rather popular in zones of the Pyrenees and often practised by farmers and shepherds. At present it can consider incorporated to the gastronomy of all the levels.
- The same slab to cook can employ, sometimes, to serve . Taking it out of the fire and carrying it to the table. Or using it directly like dish. When conserving the slab the heat more than other utensils can enjoy of foods to a higher temperature and during more time.
Grave slabs
From prehistoric times there are examples of graves covered with a stone slab, in its natural state or carved. This use as tombstone has extended the concept of natural slab to the tombstone variant: flat, thin and polished. Example: the tomb of King Peter the Great,
The tombstones use to have some inscriptions. The information on the stone slab traditionally includes the name of the deceased and his date of birth and death. The inscriptions are generally in the frontal side of the stone slab but also in some cases in the verso and around the edges of the slab, some families request to write an inscription in the unseen part of the stone slab (oriented to the ground). Apart from the name, some slabs also have epitaphs in praise of the deceased or citations of religious texts, as "Requiescat in pace".
Related pages
Images for kids
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Dolmen made of stone-slabs Romanyà de la Selva (Baix Empordà).
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Multilingual grave slab: Welsh, English, French
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Different types of washboards
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Tunisian trap to hunt alive birds. A slab-trap is very much alike but more conclusive.
See also
In Spanish: Losa de piedra para niños
