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Cist
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cist
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Also called:
Stone Chest
Related Topics:
shaft graves
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cist
cist Cist near Yelverton, Devon, England.

Cist

funerary object or place
Also known as: stone chest
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Last updated
•History

Cist, prehistoric European coffin containing a body or ashes, usually made of stone or a hollowed-out tree; also, a storage place for sacred objects. “Cist” has also been used in a more general sense to refer to the stone burial place itself, usually built in the form of a dolmen, with several upright stone slabs supporting a flat roofing stone.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.