Wedge-shaped gallery grave

Wedge tombs (Eng. " wedge grave ", formerly wedge -shaped gallery grave called ) are seamless, mostly unarticulated Megalithic the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age, and in addition Court, portal and passage tombs typical of the western half of Ireland.

Occurrence

In Ireland, 505 Wedge tombs are known. They occur mainly in the western half of the island, especially in County Cork and County Clare where are known only in the Burren around 120. Some are located in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the UK, about 50 on the Isles of Scilly and 20 in Cornwall and Wales (Pen Rhiw ).

Construction

Wedge tombs are characterized by a gallery of directed lateral support blocks, the amount of which decreases from the western to the eastern end. The gallery is rectangular, but mostly wedge-shaped and rarely a man's height. Wedge tombs are usually created from vertically arranged limestone slabs. Plates, which are on the side support blocks, cover the interior. These buildings are covered by a cairn of about head-sized stones. The Cairn is grasped by a plane parallel to the chamber wall low wall.

The little plants examined have parallels anywhere in Megalithgebiet and are designed regionally slightly different. The facilities were roughly divided into a northern and a southern type where the transition is smooth. The wedge can have grave at the entrance of a low wall ( like Iceland in County Cork). The entrance lies in the east or south-west is generally closed by a single large stone. For installations of Baurnadomeeny in County Tipperary, Labbacallee in County Cork, the largest plant of this type, as well as Loughmacrory III County Tyrone and County Londonderry Boviel a small room was built out. Facilities such as Ballyedmonduff in County Dublin, Loughash and Cashelbane in County Tyrone have small pre-and end chambers. Some Wedge tombs are very short. Reananiree in County Cork is only a little more than a meter long. Others are surrounded by a stone circle or have a paved forecourt and low stone pillars at the entrance. In Knockoneill in County Londonderry, it could be a Court tomb, the tomb was subsequently converted into a wedge.