Ta 'Ħammud dolmen
The four Ta 'Hammut dolmens are north of Għargħur on the island of Malta ; from the coastal road at Qalet Marku (with the St Mark's Tower; one of the De Redin Towers ) about 200 m inland. In Maltese, dolmens are called l-imsaqqfa (with a roof). They consist of a roughly hewn capstone, which is supported on two or three sides by supporting stones, which usually stand on one of their long narrow sides. The bedrock is worked out under the middle, so that a pit up to 60 cm deep was created. The dolmens were used as burial sites (for cremation graves). The megalithic systems date from the early Bronze Age “Tarxien Cemetery phase” (2500–1500 BC). The closest parallels can be found in Apulia and Sicily , as far as the simple shape is concerned, on the Golan .
Dolmen A
The best preserved is Dolmen A ( layer ), which is covered by a capstone 2.4 × 1.2 m and 56 cm thick, which rests on several boulders around 50 cm above the ground. The rock under the capstone was hollowed out to form a central chamber large enough for cremation burials. In 1954, fragments from the Early Bronze Age were found in the excavation .
Dolmen B
The broken capstone of Dolmen B ( layer ) lies between the two supporting stones on the ground. It measures 1.72 x 1.27 m and is 35 cm thick.
Dolmen C
Dolmen C ( Lage ) was integrated into the Maltese national sport and converted into a bird shooting range. Its capstone, now used as a sturdy back wall, measures 2.18 × 1.19 m and is 55 cm thick.
Dolmen D
The completely collapsed keystone of Dolmen D ( Lage ) is some distance from the chamber. The chamber was cut 60 cm deep into the surrounding rock to create space for cremation burials in the middle. The large capstone rested on the chamber (here apparently without an elevation of the bearing stone).
See also
- Il-Bidni Dolmen
- Il-Gebla ta 'Sasuna on Gozo
- Ta 'Cenc Dolmen in Gozo
- Wied Filep Dolmen
- Wied Znuber Dolmen
literature
- Joachim von Freeden: Malta and the architecture of its megalithic temples. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-11012-9 .
Map with all coordinates: