Verified51.9990° N · 4.7700° W · 140 m
Pentre Ifan
Pentre Ifan Dolmen · Pentre Ifan Cromlech
Early Neolithic·Preseli Early Neolithic·🇬🇧 Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
About
About Pentre Ifan
Largest and best-preserved portal dolmen in Wales on Preseli Hills slope. Triangular 5.1 m capstone (16 tonnes) balanced on three slender portal orthostats 2.4 m high without remaining mound, with views to Newport Bay. Dated c.3500 BCE, associated with Waun Mawn circle 3 km away once linked to Stonehenge bluestones.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Open design intentional or robbed?
Theories
- 01Ceremonial threshold rather than covered tomb
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. 3500 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic
- Culture
- Preseli Early Neolithic
- Purpose
- Portal dolmen burial chamber
- Abandoned
- c.2500 BCE
- Rediscovered
- Recorded 1603; conserved 1884,1936
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1439 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
51.9990° N · 4.7700° W · 140 m · 1 mapped feature
Capstone
capstoneTriangular 16t dolerite capstone
51.9990° N · 4.7700° W
Gallery