Dolmen

ancient · megaliths · archaeology · Stone Age

Giant stone tables. A dolmen is made from huge upright rocks that support a massive flat stone on top, like the world's heaviest stone table. People built these incredible structures during the Late Neolithic period, which was thousands of years ago.

Burial chambers. Dolmens were tombs where ancient people buried their dead, usually in a single chamber inside the stone structure. Archaeologists have found them in many parts of the world, showing that people far apart had similar ideas about honoring the dead.

Covered or exposed. When dolmens were first built, people often piled earth and smaller stones around them to hide the structure, creating a mound called a tumulus. Over thousands of years, wind and weather eroded the earth away, leaving only the bare stone skeleton we see today.

Balanced with care. Builders used small pad-stones like wedges to fit between the supporting rocks and the capstone, making sure the massive flat stone sat level and sturdy. This shows how clever ancient people were at solving engineering problems with the tools they had.

Found worldwide. Dolmens appear in many countries across Europe and beyond, proving that ancient cultures thousands of miles apart figured out how to build these amazing monuments all on their own.