Legananny

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Legananny ( Irish Lag an Eanaigh , according to other sources: Liagán Áine German  "Menhir of the goddess Áine" ) is a townland and is located ten kilometers northwest of Castlewellan and north of Leitrim in County Down in Northern Ireland . An impressive Tomb portal stands on a hill . It is a so-called “tripod dolmen ”, as only four stones are left of the original structure, which makes it one of the most aesthetically interesting megalithic structuresin the Irish countryside. J. Fergusson coined the term to describe this and similar portal or tripod pillars. Systems of this type emerged around 3000 BC. Chr.

The Legananny Dolmen

description

Legananny consists of three bearing stones and the capstone. The two portal stones are 1.9 m high. The rear support stone is 1.25 m high. The smooth granite cap stone is 3.45 m long and its thickness increases, uncharacteristic of the type, towards the low bearing stone. One of the portal stones shows an L-shaped, mostly artificial notch. Such shoulder-shaped notches were also found in the vicinity on stone settings ( menhirs ) and the portal Tomb of Wateresk . They are also found on the capstone at Ballykeel in County Armagh, as well as on a stone from the Court Tomb at Ballywholan in County Tyrone (all in Northern Ireland).

The rest of this 5000 year old facility is reminiscent of modern sculptures. The huge capstone shows, as with similar systems in the Republic of Ireland , that the construction of the dolmen was not only about the functional context, but also about an impressive architecture. The geometry of this dolmen has often been admired and is found in countless illustrations. Fergusson's view that the complex was never a stone grave and that it was built with the sole purpose of being impressive is no longer shared by archaeologists today.

Other "tripod dolmens" include a. Ballykeel in County Armagh and Proleek in County Louth .

gallery

  • Legananny Dolmen

  • Legananny Dolmen

  • Legannany Dolmen

  • Legannany Dolmen

See also

literature

  • James Fergusson : Rude Stone Monuments in all Countries; their Age and Uses. Murray, London 1872, ( digitized ).
  • Kenneth McNally: Standing Stones and other monuments of early Ireland . Appletree, Belfast 1984, ISBN 0-86281-121-X .

Web links

Commons : Legananny Dolmen  - Collection of Images

Coordinates: 54 ° 19 '22  .7 " N , 6 ° 1' 12.7"  W.