Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ...in Morvah (a small but perfect specimen), Pawton (St. Breock), Zennor, Bosporthennis (also in Zennor)1 and in many other places. Several have been destroyed. The Cornish dolmens are in comparison with those of Ireland and the Continent small. The cap-stones of those at Zennor and Lanyon are eighteen feet long2 of that at Chun twelve feet, Mulfra (fallen) eleven feet. In Ireland are some large specimens, in France are examples of cap-stones, twenty-four, thirty-four and seventy feet in length. Some French ones are large enough to have been converted into chapels (e.g. at St. Germain-sur-Vienne). The dolmen known as the 'Chamber of Giants' at Om, near Copenhagen, will allow of twenty persons walking in it at one time. Dolmens are found along the west of Europe (mostly near the coast) and along the northern coast of Africa. They are found also in Palestine, India, Japan and Corea (near the south coast). They appear to have been the work of a maritime people. Montelius (cited by Windle, 'Remains of pre-historic age, ' p. 91) places their date at from 2000 to 1850 b.c., the age when bronze was beginning to replace stone,3 and when many of the Swiss lake villages were formed. The Councils (on discipline) of Aries (452), of Tours (567) and of Nantes (660), ordered the destruction of dolmens and menhirs because the Celtic Christians worshipped them, but whether out of reverence for the dead, or because their origin had been forgotten, is not clear. CISTS. A cist, or cistvaen (cista-maen, stone chest) is but a smaller dolmen and was probably as a rule covered with a mound. Specimens of cistvaens occur at Crousa Downs, St. Keverne ('The three brothers of Grugith, ' one side stone being a natural rock in situ) at Chapel Car n Brea and elsewhere. Canon...