Altendorf (megalithic Tomb) - Tomb Architecture

Tomb Architecture

The tomb, oriented east-south-east to west-north-west was built into a rectangular pit of 17 x 3 m dimensions, with an entrance ramp at the east end. The slabs that formed the tomb walls were placed in shallow foundation trenches along the edges of the pit bottom. The sandstone slabs used were up to 1.8 m long and 0.45 m wide. Their height is unclear as the tops of all surviving slabs had been broken off through agricultural activity, but they were preserved to a height of up to 0.9 m. All slabs leaned inwards slightly, but is not clear whether this was intentional. Although only 9 stones survived, there must originally have been about 33 (15 on each side, 1 at the west end and 2 at the east entrance). They formed a chamber of 17 x 2.9 m size. The entrance was at the E end. Here, The side walls protruded about 1.2 m beyond the limit of the chamber, forming an antae-like feature enclosing a small antechamber. The main chamber was delimited by two slabs set between the side walls, roughly semi-circular openings cut into those slabs formed a mildly ovoid hole of 35 cm diameter, similar to the so-called Seelenlöcher (German for "soul holes") in the tombs at Züschen, Lohra and Bad Vilbel. It is not clear how the chamber was roofed. A single slab found inside may have belonged to a stone roof, but the presence of a dense packing of limestone, basalt and quartzite slabs, as well as much charcoal, above the tomb deposits may represent the remains of a collapsed wooden roof, perhaps covered by an artificial mound or tumulus. It is also unclear how the tomb was entered. The burial deposits contained in it reached nearly to the height of the top of the presered wall slabs, making entry (especially carrying a body) through the hole in the east unlikely.