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Orientation of Maltese ‘dolmens’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Emilia Pásztor  and
Curt Roslund
Emilia Pásztor
Affiliation:
Duneferr Human Institute, Dunaújváros Vasmû tér 1-3, H-7020, Hungary. [email: tmorone@rt.dunaferr.hu]
Curt Roslund
Affiliation:
Duneferr Human Institute, Dunaújváros Vasmû tér 1-3, H-7020, Hungary. [email: tmorone@rt.dunaferr.hu]
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Abstract

Measurements of the orientation of Maltese dolmens show that they are aligned so as to run parallel with landscape contours and in particular with the flow of streams in the valleys below them. This result indicates that the dolmens served purposes other than that of mere burial places of the dead and that natural features of the landscape held meaning and significance for prehistoric people.

Le mésurage des orientations des dolmens maltais montre qu'ils possèdent un alignement parallèle avec les contours du paysage et surtout avec les ruisseaux dans les vallćos au-dessous des monuments. Ce résultat montre que les dolmens ont fonctionné non pas seulement comme les ossuaires mais aussi comme les points du paysage avec un sens et une signifiance réelle pour les habitants préhistoriques.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of European Archaeology , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , Spring 1997 , pp. 183 - 189
Copyright
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 

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