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A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF MEGALITHIC TOMBS
10.
PASSAGE-GRAVES
By
Maximilian O.
1993-April 25, 2006©
All rights reserved
Summary/Conclusion
Taking rectilinear and polygonal chamber forms into consideration, one can place the transition to the passage-grave era just before or near the time when the largest extended-dolmen were evolving into grand-dolmen.
The predominance of single capstone passage-graves in the Scandinavian Zone
suggests a close tie to polygonal-dolmen. Certainly a series of single-capstone
passage-graves found on
Based on architectural similarities between the various chamber types, it would seem that the transition to two-capstone passage-graves occurred while the rectilinear dolmen with two to three capstones and two to four pairs of side-stones were in use. In long-mounds parallel chambers with corner entrance/passage form the transition.
In the model the chambers are classified into primeval passage-graves ranging from one to three capstones and roughly two to four pairs of side-stones. Medium size chambers with roughly four to six yokes are discussed under the rubric of extended passage-graves. Chambers with seven or more yokes are called grand passage-graves. A similar classification was first proposed by Bakker (1979a) on the basis of chamber length, while Laux described a slightly different approach (e.g. 1979), which has received additional elaboration (Laux 1990, 1991). Here the focus is on as many dimensions as available.
It is concluded that the different benefits of polygonal and rectilinear chamber architecture, combined with a desire to create ever larger chambers resulted into rectilinear chambers. The emphasis on passages is centered in the Scandinavian Zone. The Scandinavian influence in more southern regions, where passages generally remained short, caused the passage to be moved from the front to the long side of the traditionally rectilinear chambers, except in the gallery-grave area.
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