Archsum 1 Passage Grave View all content for Archsum 1

taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information boards: Merelmershoog The Merelmershoog lies on the edge of a small Geest ridge, the Mittelmarsch (Merelmers). The Neolithic megalithic tomb is an oval passage grave of the Nordic type. It is one of only three surviving passage graves on Sylt, including the famous Denghoog in Wenningstedt. The burial chamber probably consisted of 12 supporting stones (one of which is missing) and four cap stones and was about 1 m high. When the Nössedeich was built in 1938, the tomb was in danger, but the relocation of the dike made it possible to preserve it. Other destroyed megalithic tombs, which today lie far in front of the dike in the mudflats, testify to the former expansion of the Geest. About 1,000 m southeast of the tidal flats are the remains of another passage grave, the Kolkingehoog. It was destroyed by storm surges and ice drift in the 19th century. Megalithic tombs In the Middle Neolithic, the Funnel Beaker Culture built imposing large stone or megalithic tombs within a short period of around 600 years. These tombs, which are still imposing today, partly consist of massive boulders. Almost 50 megalithic tombs are known of Sylt, eight of which have been wholly or partially preserved. The most imposing of them and one of the most beautiful and best-preserved megalithic tombs in Germany is the Denhoog in Wenningstedt. Megalithic tombs are collective graves that have been used repeatedly and over a very long period of time. Only the bodies of the dead were buried. The tombs were often reused in the following epoch (Bronze Age). The shape of the tombs developed from simple rectangular stone chambers to dolmens, polygonal chambers and passage graves. The corridor made subsequent burials easier. The tombs were covered with earth and had the outer shape of round or long barrows. It is disputed whether the dead were buried directly in the graves or whether only the bones were later deposited.

Posted by Nucleus 1st November 2020ce

Comments (0)
You must be logged in to add a comment