Maeve's Cairn in the context of "Cairn"

⭐ In the context of Cairns, Maeve's Cairn is considered an example of a structure historically used for


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⭐ Core Definition: Maeve's Cairn

MiosgĂĄn Meadhbha, anglicized Miosgan Meva and also called Maeve's Cairn, is a large cairn on the summit of Knocknarea in County Sligo, Ireland. It is thought to conceal a passage tomb from the Neolithic (New Stone Age). It is the largest cairn in Ireland, excepting those at BrĂș na BĂłinne in Meath.

The cairn is about 55 metres (180 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) high. The cairn is flat-topped and several kerbstones can be seen on the northern side. It is believed to date to around 3000 BCE. Archaeologist Stefan Bergh, in his book Landscape of the Monuments (1995), suggests that a large hollow some way to the west of the cairn was the quarry from which the stones were taken.

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👉 Maeve's Cairn in the context of Cairn

A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word cairn comes from the Irish: carn [ˈkʰaːrË nÌȘË ] (plural cairn [ˈkʰaːrË ÉČ]).

Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, they were raised as markers, as memorials and as burial monuments (some of which contained chambers).

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