Kong Svends Høj

Kong Svends Høj (English: King Svend's Mound) is a passage grave on the island of Lolland in Denmark, immediately north of Pederstrup. The chamber in the mound is 12.5 metres (41 ft) long and it is one of Denmark's largest and most famous passage graves.[1]

Kong Svends Høj
Photo of Kong Svends Høj burial mound
Rear of Kong Svends Høj
Kong Svends Høj is located in Denmark
Kong Svends Høj
Shown within Denmark
LocationLolland, Denmark
Coordinates54.91181°N 11.26485°E / 54.91181; 11.26485
TypePassage grave
History
PeriodsNeolithic

Description

Kong Svends Høj consists of a large, rectangular mound covering a chamber 12.5 metres (41 ft) in length.[2] The mound is surrounded by kerbstones,[1] which, with a height of around 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in), are among the tallest recorded in a Neolithic tomb.[2] The gable stones are almost 4 metres (13 ft) high.[2] The north-western façade originally had two outliers, known as "horns" or guard stones.[3]

The first excavations were attempted in 1780 by a Danish prime minister and a pastor's son who later became bishop of Copenhagen.[1] The tomb was first restored in 1942, when the entrance was discovered.[1] The tomb is thought to date to the middle Neolithic period, circa 3200 BC.[1]

References
  1. Price, Theron Douglas (2015). Ancient Scandinavia: An Archaeological History from the First Humans to the Vikings. Oxford University Press. p. 147. ISBN 0190231971.
  2. Scarre, Christopher; Laporte, Luc (2015). The Megalithic Architectures of Europe. Casemate. p. 65. ISBN 1785700170.
  3. Midgley, Magdalena (2008). The Megaliths of Northern Europe. Routledge. p. 55. ISBN 113426450X.

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