Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace
Middle Neolithic (3600-3000 BCE)·Irish Neolithic·🇮🇪 County Meath, Ireland
About
About Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace 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 6 × 6 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 53.7530N -7.0983E 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
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
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 — Western Terrace main structure
c. 592 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
53.7530° N · 7.0983° W · 282 m · 3 mapped features
Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace — Main Megalithic Feature
necropolisPrimary necropolis at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
53.7547° N · 7.0972° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
templeAncillary temple at Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits
53.7539° N · 7.0968° WLoughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
chamberOutlier chamber panel linked to Loughcrew Cairn L West Chamber — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
53.7530° N · 7.0975° W