Step Pyramid of Dail Brown
Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE)·Chalcolithic·🇮🇪 County Kerry, Ireland
About
About Step Pyramid of Dail Brown
Step Pyramid of Dail Brown in County Kerry, Ireland is a Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE) pyramid attributed to Chalcolithic culture. Systematically investigated through systematic survey and fieldwalking, it presents a monumental core with ancillary settlement. Construction employs ashlar with clamp and demonstrates long-distance exchange. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans verify location and chronology.
Why it mattersKey Chalcolithic pyramid with stratified sequence and regional significance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Cause of abandonment and collapse
- 02Social hierarchy and elite control
Theories
- 01Centralized storage and redistribution (Cunliffe)
- 02Defensive refuge and tribal capital
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. 3304 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic (4500–3300 BCE)
- Culture
- Chalcolithic
- Purpose
- Agricultural and hydraulic
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 3304 BCE
Initial construction and primary occupation
c. 2504 BCE
Major expansion and monumental elaboration
c. 529 BCE
Rebuilding and fortification phase
1976
Modern archaeological excavation and survey
On the ground
Structures & features
52.0185° N · 9.0400° W · 950 m · 3 mapped features
Necropolis Extension
shrineOutlier feature with cup marks
52.0181° N · 9.0421° WTemple Platform
granaryBurial zone — cists
52.0194° N · 9.0421° WGateway
hydraulicHydraulic feature — well
52.0198° N · 9.0398° W