A dolmen it's a type of megalithic construction composed of one or more stones laid flat on two or more vertical stones.
The result of this interposition of stones is a chamber, which, in most cases, is surrounded by a pile of earth or stones that cover the vertical slabs and somehow give the idea of a hill.
In the Breton language, spoken in the French region of Brittany, where this construction has been very popular, dolmen means large stone table.
The dolmens are typical of the western europe region, especially in regard to his Atlantic Coast respect and were mostly built towards the end of the period Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The use that was fundamentally given to it at this time was that of collective grave.
The simplest and most characteristic model of dolmen is that of two or more vertical stones on which one will lie in a horizontal position and in the surroundings of the construction it is accompanied by stones of important dimensions. Meanwhile, the aforementioned was not the only type of dolmen, it is also possible to find the dolmen known as corridor graveSince the traditional dolmen is added a corridor that connects it with the outside, acting as an avenue or street so that the funeral procession can parade.
Another type also present is that of the Gallery, whose development is supposed to be later than the two mentioned above. In this the corridor does not differ from the chamber and presents pillars, antecedents of the later columns of the temples. The purpose of the pillars was to support the heavy covers.
The dolmen represents the first antecedent of human constructive capacity, successfully meeting the enormous challenge of keeping the structure up.
