A cromlech (sometimes also spelled "cromleh" or "cromlêh"; cf Welsh crom, "bent"; llech, "slate") is a megalithic construction made of large stone blocks. The word applies to two different megalithic forms in English, [1] [2] the first being an altar tomb (frequently called a " dolmen"), as William Borlase first denoted in 1769. [3] A good example is at Carn Llechart. [4] The second meaning of the name "cromlech" in English refers to large stone circles such as those found among the Carnac stones in Brittany, France. [2] [1]
Unlike in English, the word "cromlech" in many other languages (such as Azerbaijani, Armenian, French, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Romanian, and Spanish) exclusively denotes a megalithic stone circle, whereas the word " dolmen" is used to refer to the type of megalithic altar tomb sometimes indicated by the English "cromlech". Also, more recently in English, scholars such as Aubrey Burl use "cromlech" as a synonym for "megalithic stone circle". [5]
List
- Almendres Cromlech, the Cromlech of the Almendres megalithic complex, near Évora, Portugal
- Dinas Cromlech, a rock outcrop in the Llanberis Pass, Snowdonia, Wales
- Dolni Glavanak Cromlech, an oval stone circle near Dolni Glavanak, Bulgaria
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Definition of CROMLECH". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved Apr 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "CROMLECH English Definition and Meaning". Lexico.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
- ^ William Borlase (1769). Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall. S. Baker and G. Leigh. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ Cope, Julian (1998). The Modern Antiquarian: A Pre-millennial Odyssey Through Megalithic Britain : Including a Gazetteer to Over 300 Prehistoric Sites. Thorsons Pub. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-7225-3599-8.
- ^ Aubrey Burl: A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany. Yale University Press, New Haven 2006, ISBN 0-300-11406-0.
