Maglehøj

The Maglehøj in Store Heddinge on the Stevns -Halbinsel on the island of Zealand in Denmark was one of the passage tombs , which were examined by the National Museum already in the late 19th century. It originated in the Neolithic between 3500 and 2800 BC. BC as a megalithic system of the funnel beaker culture (TBK). The passage grave is a type of Neolithic complex, which consists of a chamber and a structurally separated, lateral passage. This form is primarily to be found in Denmark, Germany, Scandinavia and the Netherlands, as well as occasionally in France. There are a number of tumuli with this name on Zealand . B. the Maglehøj of Frederiksværk , Maglehøj (Øster Egesborg), Maglehøj (Brederød) and the Maglehøj in Odsherred .

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 in Maglehøj was first excavated by a private collector in 1823. For the first time birch bark ( Danish Birkebark ) was detected as a sealing material. The other finds (skeletal parts, amber beads , zerscherbte ceramics and discounts, knives and arrowheads from flint ) are in the collection of the National Museum. In 1895 C. Blinken examined the passage grave. In the chamber are between masonry (Dan. Tørmurene) are particularly well preserved.

The Maglehøj is about 3.6 m high and has only 14.5 m in diameter on all sides due to the removal of soil, so it is very steep, but overgrown with grass. In the hill is a 5.1 m long southeast-northwest oriented trapezoidal chamber, which is 1.6 m wide in the north and 2.4 m in the south with a height of 1.5 to 1.6 m. It consists of 15 supporting stones on which a second, and in some places a third, layer rests in order to achieve a greater chamber height. The megalithic complex has 4 cap stones. The corridor to the east is about 3.5 m long, inside 0.7 m wide and 1.05 m high. Each side consists of six supporting stones, over which there are three cap stones in the inner area (the inner one broken, but in situ ). There is a door construction in the corridor.

The passage grave, restored in 1996, is now one of the most visited large stone graves in the area.

See also

• Nordic megalithic architecture
• Great stone graves in Denmark

literature

• Peter V. Glob : prehistoric monuments of Denmark . Wachholtz, Neumünster 1968.

Web links

• Description Danish and pictures
• Description in Danish at Fund og Fortidsminder
• Description in English

Coordinates: 55 ° 20 ′ 32.1 ″  N , 12 ° 16 ′ 13.2 ″  E