Fogou by Boleigh
The Boleigh Fogou lies on the B3315 (road) southwest of Penzance in Cornwall ( England ) and is an Iron Age system, which in a similar way to the British Isles , including Ireland but is found in other countries and in the archeology generally as basement referred to as. In the case of basements, a basic distinction is made between "rock-cut", "earth-cut", "stone built" and "mixed" basements.
In Cornwall and Wales, basements are called Fogou, in Scotland the terms "Earth House" or Weem are also common. It is a system of near-surface, underground passages and chambers or niches, which are cut into the earth (earth cut) or into rock (rock cut), made of wood (rarely) or made of dry masonry (stone built) or mixed Construction (mixed) created and covered with stone slabs or wooden beams.
Many Fogous have a side passage with one or more chambers in addition to the main course. At Boleigh, the side passage is near the entrance and is strongly curved. In the main corridor of Boleigh, on one of the side stones at the entrance, there is a now barely recognizable, carved human figure with an object (perhaps a spear).
In the mid-1990s, the earth's surface around Boleigh was archaeologically examined. The remains of an Iron Age house were found surrounded by an oval wall. Combinations of basement and house have been discovered many times ( Fogou von Halligye ). The excavators conclude that the Fogou, in combination with the mostly round building above ground, was designed for ritual use.
In the vicinity are menhirs ( Pipers of Boleigh ), the megalithic complex Tregiffian , a chamber tomb ( English chambered tomb ) of the Scillonian type ( Isles of Scilly ) and the stone circle "The Merry Maidens of Boleigh".
literature
- Jo May: Fogou. A Journey into the Underworld. Gothic Image Publications, Glastonbury 1996, ISBN 0-906362-34-2 .
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 4 '17.3 " N , 5 ° 34' 55.4" W.