passage grave

archaeology

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

A passage grave is a subterranean burial chamber entered through a long passage that resembles a tunnel. These structures are a type of collective tomb found in Europe, dating back to the final stage of the Stone Age, around 2000 BCE.12

One of the most famous examples is Newgrange in Ireland, built by Stone Age farmers about 3200 BCE. It features a large circular mound with an internal passage leading to a burial chamber. This passage is aligned with the winter solstice sunrise, suggesting a connection to astronomical events and possibly beliefs about the afterlife. Gallery graves, a variant, are also found in Britain and Scotland, sometimes featuring representations of deities on their walls.32

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

megalith
…from the dolmen: one, the passage grave, was formed by the addition of a long stone-roofed entrance passage to the dolmen itself; and the other, the long, coffinlike cist or covered gallery grave, consisted of a long, rectangular burial chamber with no distinct passageway. Hybrid versions have also been discovered,…
Read More
…from the dolmen: one, the passage grave, was formed by the addition of a long stone-roofed entrance passage to the dolmen itself; and the other, the long, coffinlike cist or covered gallery grave, consisted of a long, rectangular burial chamber with no distinct passageway. Hybrid versions have also been discovered,…
Read More