Dolmens: Time‑Mapped – the Rise and Fall
From their earliest construction around 4800 BC to their modern protection, dolmens spread across Atlantic Europe, served elite funerary rites, and faded as societies changed.
Chapters
- 0:07 Origins of the Dolmen
- 1:16 Spread across the Atlantic World
- 2:43 Social Meaning and Elite Use
- 3:52 Decline, Legacy and Modern Study
On-screen text
- 0:07 Origins of the Dolmen
- 0:14 Origins of the Dolmen
- 0:31 Menga dolmen dates to ~4800 BC Historical record · Fernández et al., Radiocarbon dating of the Dolmen of Menga (Almería, Spain) 1995
- 0:49 Carrowkeel passage tomb c.4700 BC Historical record · O'Kelly, Excavation report of the Dolmen of Carrowkeel (Ireland) 1975
- 1:07 Gavrinis built ~4600 BC Historical record · Brunel, Radiocarbon series for Gavrinis (Brittany, France) 2001
- 1:16 Spread across the Atlantic World
- 1:23 Spread across the Atlantic World
- 1:40 Dolmen model spreads across Iberia by 3500 BC The Institute's interpretation · García, J. Megalithic tombs of the Iberian Peninsula. Oxford University Press, 2002
- 1:58 Four Horns dolmen c.3400 BC Historical record · Museu Nacional de Arqueologia catalogue, Dolmen of the Four Horns (Portugal) 2008
- 2:16 Strabo notes Iberian stone houses Historical record · Strabo, Geography 3.5.5
- 2:34 Atlantic network spreads dolmen tech The Institute's interpretation · P. R. B., ‘The Atlantic Megalithic Network’, Antiquity, 2010
- 2:43 Social Meaning and Elite Use
- 2:50 Social Meaning and Elite Use
- 3:07 Pliny calls dolmens sepulchres The Institute's interpretation · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 7.2
- 3:25 Elite burials at Domboshava Historical record · National Museum of Zimbabwe report, Excavation of the Dolmen of Domboshava 2012
- 3:43 Herodotus notes Scythian stone tombs The Institute's interpretation · Herodotus, Histories 5.89
- 3:52 Decline, Legacy and Modern Study
Sources
Historical record: Fernández et al., Radiocarbon dating of the Dolmen of Menga (Almería, Spain) 1995 · O'Kelly, Excavation report of the Dolmen of Carrowkeel (Ireland) 1975 · Brunel, Radiocarbon series for Gavrinis (Brittany, France) 2001 · Museu Nacional de Arqueologia catalogue, Dolmen of the Four Horns (Portugal) 2008 · Strabo, Geography 3.5.5 · National Museum of Zimbabwe report, Excavation of the Dolmen of Domboshava 2012
The Institute's interpretation: García, J. Megalithic tombs of the Iberian Peninsula. Oxford University Press, 2002 · P. R. B., ‘The Atlantic Megalithic Network’, Antiquity, 2010 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 7.2 · Herodotus, Histories 5.89
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 69 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (3) — the next things to make
- Shallow grave opened, revealing copper beads glinting in torchlight.
- Shallow grave opened, revealing copper beads glinting in torchlight.
- Researchers in a lab manipulate a 3‑D acoustic model of a dolmen; sound‑wave visualizations ripple inside the virtual chamber.