Passage grave of Øm

Passage grave at Øm

Scheme of passage grave (cross-section) 1 = support stone, 2 = cap stone, 3 = mound, 4 = seal, 5 = wedge stones, 6 = access, 7 = threshold stone. 8 = floor slabs, 9 = sub-floor depots, 10 = intermediate masonry 11 = curb stones

The passage grave at Øm is located southwest of Roskilde on the Danish island of Zealand . The passage grave ( Danish Jættestue ) is one of the best preserved of the 500 preserved large stone graves of this type in Denmark. It dates from the Neolithic around 3000 BC. And is a megalithic system of the funnel beaker culture (TBK). The passage grave is a form of Neolithic megalithic systems, which consists of a chamber and a structurally separated, lateral passage. This form is primarily found in Denmark, Germany and Scandinavia, as well as occasionally in France and the Netherlands. Neolithic monuments are an expression of the culture and ideology of Neolithic societies. Their origin and function are considered to be the hallmarks of social development.

description

The round hill, of which only a few curbs were preserved and the rest was added in 1800, contains a man-high chamber. It is seven meters long, 1.8 m wide and is made up of 15 bearing stones and four large cap stones. The six meter long access is formed by seven pairs of bearing stones, which are only covered in the inner area. The fall stones were relaunched in connection with the excavation of 1833. Unfortunately, the last stone in the corridor is a "skull splitter", because while you can walk almost upright through the long, dark corridor, the passage to the chamber is a few decimeters lower.

Today the hill of the passage grave is surrounded by a wall. In the parking lot of the passage grave there is a large stone on a stone sledge. It is believed that the Stone Age people used this method to move the large stone. The system is approached by bus travelers.

Finds

During the excavation in 1833, polished flint axes , chisels, amber beads and pottery from the Neolithic Age were found. Parts of a bronze dagger and awl and a skeleton were found from the early Bronze Age . During restoration work, Svend Illum Hansen found the original curb circle under the hill, within the curb circle built in the 19th century.

The Danish Conservator PV Glob reports about an old custom of the local population of cleaning the chamber every year around Christmas time and putting in a large bowl of rice pudding or a mug of beer .

literature

Peter V. Glob : prehistoric monuments of Denmark. Wachholtz, Neumünster 1968 p. 74
Ingrid Falktoft Anderson: Vejviser til Danmarks oldtid . 1994, ISBN 87-89531-10-8 , p. 299

Individual evidence

^ Johannes Müller : Neolithic Monuments and Neolithic Societies. In: Hans-Jürgen Beier , Erich Claßen, Thomas Doppler, Britta Ramminger (eds.): Varia neolithica VI. Neolithic Monuments and Neolithic Societies. Contributions from the meeting of the Neolithic Working Group during the annual meeting of the North-West German Association for Ancient Research in Schleswig, 9. – 10. October 2007 (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 56). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2009, ISBN 978-3-941171-28-2 , pp. 7-16, here p. 15.

Web links

55.599722222222 11.994722222222Coordinates: 55 ° 35 ′ 59 ″ N , 11 ° 59 ′ 41 ″ E

[1] Johannes Müller : Neolithic Monuments and Neolithic Societies. In: Hans-Jürgen Beier , Erich Claßen, Thomas Doppler, Britta Ramminger (eds.): Varia neolithica VI. Neolithic Monuments and Neolithic Societies. Contributions from the meeting of the Neolithic Working Group during the annual meeting of the North-West German Association for Ancient Research in Schleswig, 9. – 10. October 2007 (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 56). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2009, ISBN 978-3-941171-28-2 , pp. 7-16, here p. 15.