|
Gaulstown Portal Tomb52°12′20″N 7°12′40″W / 52.2056°N 7.2112°W
The Gaulstown Portal Tomb or Gaulstown Dolmen is a megalithic portal tomb situated in Gaulstown, Butlerstown in County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. It lies about 7 km south west of Waterford City.[2] LocationThe tomb is named for the townsland in which it situated, Gaulstown, and sits at the foot of "Cnoc an Chaillighe" or "The Hill of the Hag".[3] FeaturesThe portal tomb most likely dates from around 3500 BC, and is considered one of the finest examples of portal tombs in the region,[2] and was first recorded by George Victor Du Noyer in 1864.[4] The tomb faces south east into the hillside, and consists of two east-facing portal stones which are 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in) high, with a door stone between and a chamber consisting of three other upright stones. All of these support a rectangular capstone, which is 4.2 metres (14 ft) in length, and 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) deep. The tomb has been undergone maintenance in the past, with a concrete support added inside the chamber. There is evidence that some of the upright stones may have moved over time, as the shape of the chamber has been impacted.[3] It is likely that the structure was once enclosed by a mound or cairn, which has since been removed or eroded away.[5] See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gaulstown Dolmen. References
External links Look up dolmen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
