Archaeologist unearthed a megalithic Neolithic tomb built 6000 years ago in Dolice, North-western Poland. Researchers state that the structure is in better shape than initially expected.

The tomb is a typical ‘Kuyavian‘ long barrow, meaning that it is a long, rectangular structure, measuring over 70 metres in length and 2 metres in height. Its walls are lined with a row of large boulders. This type of megalithic tombs were characteristic for the Neolithic Funnelbeaker Culture which existed between 4300-2800 BC in in north-central Europe. In Poland they have been initially discovered in the Kuyavian region, hence the name of this type of structures.

The tomb in Dolice was known for 100 years but was never excavated before. As the archaeologist began their work a row of even stones was unearthed, suggesting that the structure is mainly intact. It turned out that the tomb is not destroyed but only covered by a layer of dirt. The researchers estimate that the tomb was nearly 2 metres high, enclosed by a row of large boulders and covered with a stone pavement. It is believed that there might be a burial of a tribal elder located within the tomb.

(after Nauka w Polsce & Jerzy Muszyński)