Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension
Middle Neolithic (3600-3000 BCE)·Irish Neolithic·🇮🇪 County Meath, Ireland
About
About Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension 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 citadel 4 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 53.7290N -7.0998E 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
- Excavated
c. 3300 BCE
Initial construction of Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension main structure
c. 555 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension
1970–2012
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
53.7290° N · 7.0998° W · 280 m · 3 mapped features
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension — Main Megalithic Feature
rock artPrimary rock art at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension — burial gallery with stratified deposits
53.7278° N · 7.1002° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension — Secondary Enclosure
hydraulicAncillary hydraulic at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
53.7275° N · 7.0980° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension — Outlier Rock Art Panel
necropolisOutlier necropolis panel linked to Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Southern Extension ceremonial landscape
53.7286° N · 7.0983° W