Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier
Middle Neolithic (3600-3000 BCE)·Irish Neolithic·🇮🇪 County Meath, Ireland
About
About Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier in County Meath, Ireland is a Middle Neolithic (3600-3000 BCE) megalithic attributed to Irish Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 11 × 5 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 53.7394N -7.0898E controls access to County Meath resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for County Meath, illustrating Irish Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Nature of burial rites and population
- 02Landscape function
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3300 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic (3600-3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Irish Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3300 BCE
Initial construction of Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier main structure
c. 849 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
53.7394° N · 7.0898° W · 269 m · 4 mapped features
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — Main Megalithic Feature
hydraulicPrimary hydraulic at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
53.7406° N · 7.0903° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — Secondary Enclosure
necropolisAncillary necropolis at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
53.7388° N · 7.0912° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — Outlier Rock Art Panel
templeOutlier temple panel linked to Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier ceremonial landscape
53.7384° N · 7.0913° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
chamberHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Eastern Outlier with plastered basin
53.7385° N · 7.0903° W