Lanyon Quoit

The Lanyon Quoit, also known as The Giant's Quoit and The Giant 's Table, is about 5500 year old dolmen from the Neolithic period and the most famous Quoit in Cornwall.

Location

The Lanyon Quoit is located north- west of Penzance between Madron and Morvah. It is 3 km to the north behind Madron 50 m to the right of the road. Within a few kilometers there are other megalithic sites:

Construction

The Lanyon Quoit consists of three about 2.0 m high pillars on which an oval, about 13 ton deck plate rests. The lengths of the axes of the approximately symmetrical deck plate be 2.75 m and 5.25 m. A pillar supporting the plate almost centrally, the other two support the edge of the plate. The boundary pillars are in position and orientation is not symmetrical to the axis of the oval cover plate. This impression is only a suitable choice of the location, as illustrated by the images. To the rebuilt cairn find menhirs, whose original arrangement and function are unclear, and at the southern end of the site remains of stone boxes can be assumed that a weitläufigeren cult plant.

History

1769 William Borlase described for the first time the megalithic site in a publication and made ​​to illustrate the opposite of etchings in which the Lanyon Quoit regarding design and floor plan has a much different look than today. Even Scott's presentation from 1813 shows another than the current arrangement of megaliths and agrees with that of Borlase match. William Cotton reported in his work, as did the redesign of the monument in the 19th century. In 1815 Lanyon Quoit the collapsed during a storm and was erected in 1824 with the financial support of the residents and under the guidance of Captain Giddy by the Royal Navy again. However, corresponded to the reconstruction is not quite the original appearance of the plant, as a pillar and part of the cover plate was broken in the collapse. Therefore Captain Giddy let the remaining three support stones put something and turn the cover plate by 90 ° so that it rested now only on three pillars. As the drawing shows of Borlase, were the pillars, including one in this form, no longer existing, much wider stone, previously stood parallel to each other. In addition, the system would once have been higher, as Borlase had reported that a man could stand upright riding under it. An etching from 1857 by RT Pentreath shows the megaliths already in the arrangement known today. 1864 made ​​John Thomas Blight in his book A Week at the Land's End to an etching, which also shows the newly designed Lanyon Quoits. William Copeland Borlase in 1872 took, a great-grandson of the elder Borlase, further research and archaeological excavations before. He reproduced etchings of his ancestors and found them much more valuable than any other contemporary sketch because the monument has since been subject to considerable changes. 1952 gave the then owner Edward Bolitho from Trengwainton the grounds with the Monument to the National Trust.

More recently, specific ideas about appearance and purpose of the system were developed: today suspect archaeologists that the rock formation as the other nearby quoits was once the grave chamber of a portal tomb or cenotaph represented, a memorial for deceased highly respected priest - shaman. It is disputed whether the chamber was completely covered with earth or whether the entrance was disclosed along with the cover plate. Before, in the interior or on the rock formation then acts of worship may have been made. Unclear is how the 13 -ton capstone was spent by human hands in height of two meters. It is conceivable transportation over a very long, artificially raised ramp. Also possible a gradual lifting of the stone by means of a wooden structure, a process that is also eligible for the cover stones of Stonehenge in consideration appears.

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