A
dolmen, also known as a
cromlech,
portal tomb,
portal grave or
quoit, is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more
megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone ("table"), although there are also more complex variants. Most date from the early
Neolithic (4000-3000 BCE). Dolmens were typically covered with earth or smaller stones to form a
tumulus. In many instances, that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone "skeleton" of the burial mound intact.