Dolmen deity

Dolmen deity

In archaeology, a dolmen deity is a humanoid figure sometimes seen in the megalithic art cut into the walls of chamber tombs in western Europe, especially those of Symbolkeramik users in Spain.

The figures are highly stylised but usually unmistakably female, with breasts and necklaces common attributes. In some cases, the representation consists of only a pair of eyes or eyebrows, known as the oculus motif. The most detailed images appear on French statue menhirs and the gallery graves of the Seine-Oise-Marne culture such as that at Courjeonnet.

They are interpreted as being images of an Earth mother, underworld goddess and/or fertility symbol.

An exception is the deity of "L'Autel de Dehus" in Guernsey, known as "Le Gardien du Tombeau", which is unmistakably bearded and carrying a bow and arrow.

See also Venus figurine


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Guernsey — This article is about the British Crown Dependency. For other uses, see Guernsey (disambiguation). Bailiwick of Guernsey Bailliage de Guernesey …   Wikipedia

  • Vale, Guernsey — Infobox Channel Island parish native name=Vale island=Guernsey area=8.8 km² population=9573 population density=1087.8/km² electoral district=ValeVale (Guernésiais: Lé Vale; French: Le Valle) is one of the ten parishes of Guernsey.Until 1806 the… …   Wikipedia

  • Statue menhir — A statue menhir is a type of carved standing stone created during the later European Neolithic.The statues consist of a vertical slab or pillar with a stylised design of a human figure cut into it, sometimes with hints of clothing or weapons… …   Wikipedia

  • Дольменное божество —     (англ. dolmen deity), таинственное существо (божество), изображенное на мегалитических и скальных гробницах, культовой керамике и в виде различных идолов Западной Европы (рис. 48). В наиболее примитивных произведениях выделяются только пара… …   Археологический словарь

  • Megalith — Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany …   Wikipedia

  • History of ancient Tunisia — The present day Republic of Tunisia, al Jumhuriyyah at Tunisiyyah , has over ten million citizens, almost all of Arab Berber descent. The Mediterranean Sea is to the north and east, Libya to the southeast, and Algeria to the west. Tunis is the… …   Wikipedia

  • History of early Tunisia — History of Tunisia ANCIENT HISTORY OF TUNISIA …   Wikipedia

  • japan — japanner, n. /jeuh pan /, n., adj., v., japanned, japanning. n. 1. any of various hard, durable, black varnishes, originally from Japan, for coating wood, metal, or other surfaces. 2. work varnished and figured in the Japanese manner. 3. Japans,… …   Universalium

  • Japan — /jeuh pan /, n. 1. a constitutional monarchy on a chain of islands off the E coast of Asia: main islands, Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. 125,716,637; 141,529 sq. mi. (366,560 sq. km). Cap.: Tokyo. Japanese, Nihon, Nippon. 2. Sea of, the… …   Universalium

  • Kannur district — Infobox Indian Jurisdiction native name=Kannur type=district hq=Kannur latd = 11.8689 | longd=75.35546 state name=Kerala abbreviation=IN KL KNR collector=Sasidhar Sreenivas area total=2966 area magnitude=9 population total = 2412365 population… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”