Megalithic long barrowThe Copper Age
Onsved Marker
DatedEst. 3500–2800 BCE
No licensed photograph yetWe have no photograph we may publish for this site, so the interpretive 3D view leads instead.
Overview
About this site
Overview
Onsved Marker 3 is a megalithic long barrow of the Neolithic northern group of the Funnel Beaker culture, in Skuldelev parish, Frederikssund Municipality, Denmark. The catalogue gives a typological estimate of 3500 to 2800 BCE.
The rectangular mound, oriented north to south, contains three chambers, all classed as early dolmens (Urdolmen). Older and newer surveys give slightly different dimensions for the mound.
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Where it sits in time
The site's dated range, placed against world reference points.
The scale is logarithmic: each step to the left is about ten times older than the last.
Article
Onsved Marker
SettingSources for this section
Sources for this section
The grave lies north of Onsved, in a meadow west of the Vangevej. Several other megalithic tombs stood in the surrounding area.
In 1942 only 37 remained: 16 on the western long side, 19 on the eastern long side and two on the southern end.
DescriptionSources for this section
Sources for this section
The mound is rectangular and oriented north to south. The 1873 survey gives a length of 40 m and a width of 10 m. The 1942 report gives a length of only 30 m and a width of between 10 m and 11 m. The mound is 1.6 m high.
In 1873, 55 stones of the kerb survived. In 1942 only 37 remained: 16 on the western long side, 19 on the eastern long side and two on the southern end. The stones at the ends are, or were, larger than those along the long sides.
The first chamber lies 14 m from the southern end of the mound. It is oriented west-north-west to east-south-east and has a slightly trapezoidal plan, 2.1 m long and 0.7 m wide in the east and 0.9 m wide in the west. It has three wall stones, its west side is open, and the capstone is missing.
The middle chamber lies 20 m from the southern end. It is oriented north to south, with a rectangular plan 1.6 m long and 0.7 m wide. It consists of one wall stone on each side, one of which is split. Its capstone is also missing.
The third chamber lies about 29 m from the southern end. It is oriented east to west and has a rectangular plan; no dimensions are recorded. It has three wall stones, with a threshold stone at the open east side, and a capstone rests on the wall stones. Around this chamber, rolled stones and burnt flint were observed.
Research historySources for this section
Sources for this section
Staff of the Danish National Museum documented the site in 1873 and 1942. A further survey was made in 1989 by staff of the Forest and Nature Agency.
ContextSources for this section
Sources for this section
In Denmark and southern Sweden, long barrows of the Funnel Beaker culture typically used stone in their construction. Nordic megalith architecture, the style of Scandinavia and northern Germany, appeared mainly between 3500 and 2800 BCE.
Tradition and region
About this kind of monument
Northern European long barrows (langdysser)
Further north, the long barrow tradition took its own form. In Denmark and southern Sweden the long barrows typically used stone in their construction, and in the Netherlands and northern Germany they also used stone where it was available. The long barrows in parts of Poland are typically earthen rather than megalithic. They belong to the Funnel Beaker culture, and the architecture of Scandinavia and northern Germany, called Nordic megalith architecture, appeared mainly between 3500 and 2800 BCE.
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern many dolmens lie inside a trapezoid frame of standing stones that the Germans call a Hünenbett, "giants' bed". Excavators there recognise the "unchambered long barrow" as a type of its own, along with simple dolmens, extended dolmens, passage graves and stone cists.
The purpose of early Neolithic long barrows is not known, though archaeologists can make suggestions based on recurring patterns. One argument is that they were religious sites, perhaps erected as part of a system of ancestor veneration; an alternative is that they were primarily economic or territorial markers.
Folklore: the German name Hünenbett, "giants' bed", reflects the old belief that giants lay in such graves. The barrows were in fact built by Neolithic farmers.
Dating relies on pottery and on radiocarbon dates from the few that have been excavated.
When visiting, look for the long outline of the mound, any kerbstones, and the chambers within it.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia: Long barrow, Wikipedia: Nordic megalith architecture, Wikipedia: Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Wikipedia: Funnel beaker culture · CC BY-SA 4.0
From the article
Dated moments in the story
- 1873
In den Jahren 1873 und 1942 führten Mitarbeiter des Dänischen Nationalmuseums Dokumentationen der Fundstelle durch.
Source - 1873
Der Bereich von 1873 nennt eine Länge von 40 m und eine Breite von 10 m.
Source - 1873
Von der Umfassung waren 1873 noch 55 Steine erhalten, 1942 hingegen nur noch 37: 16 an der westlichen und 19 an der östlichen Langseite sowie zwei an der südlichen Schmalseite.
Source - 1942
Der Bericht von 1942 nennt hingegen eine Länge von nur 30 m und eine Breite zwischen 10 m und 11 m.
Source - 1989
Eine weitere Dokumentation erfolgte 1989 durch Mitarbeiter der Forst- und Naturbehörde.
Source
Lore
Evidence & Lore
What the sources actually support — and, kept apart, what has been claimed.
What the evidence supports
Dates
Est. 3500–2800 BCEHow this date was established: Type comparisonTypical range for megalithic long barrows in Denmark; this site has not been dated itself. Danish long barrows (langhoje) belong to the Nordic megalith tradition which emerged predominantly between 3500 and 2800 BC.Source for this date
Where it stands
Denmark
The pin marks the monument itself — its exact point.
- Coordinates
- 55°47′34″ N, 11°59′36″ EFor a GPS or map app: 55.79277, 11.99332
Access is as our sources describe it; we have not visited the site to check.
Nearby
The closest sites in the Atlas, by straight line.
- Megalithic mound (tumulus with integral stones)Maglehøj3500–500 BCE
- Passage tomb (passage grave)Bredagergård3500–2800 BCE
- Passage tomb (passage grave)Stendyssegård3500–2800 BCE
- Passage tomb (passage grave)Klangdys3500–2800 BCE
- DolmenKong Dyves Sten3500–2800 BCE
- Megalithic mound (tumulus with integral stones)Ordrup Marker3500–500 BCE
- Megalithic mound (tumulus with integral stones)Krogstrup3500–500 BCE
- Passage tomb (passage grave)Drysagerdys3500–2800 BCE
Sources
Every record behind this page, with the link it came from.
2 sources behind this page
- 01Wikidata Q30146952wikidata.org
- 02Source for this dateen.wikipedia.org
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Around this place
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Credit
Text, licence and sources
Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Großsteingrab Onsved Marker 3" (German), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; authors are listed in the page history. Reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikipedia · Edit history and authors