Image of dolmen would be fine to use on local currency

In The Megalith Builder Of Western Europe (1963), the late Glyn Daniel said the word ‘dolmen’ is perhaps the most widespread in megalithic literature.

It occurs in archaeological literature in the late C18th as a general descriptive term for megalithic tombs, and as such is still used in France where one talks of the ‘dolmens’ of a region or department and asks the way to a ‘dolmen’ in the sense of any megalithic monument.’ Indeed, as Daniel goes on to state, ‘Passage graves are referred to as ‘dolmens a galerie’. Referring to a particular form of Irish chamber tomb described as a ‘portal dolmen’, Daniel says ‘Portal dolmen will do as a phrase among those for whom the word dolmen has no fears and implications’.This perplexing comment is perhaps best understood by summarising the associated page of text that Daniel himself devotes to an explanation. In short, the Welsh equivalent of the French world ‘dolmen’ is ‘cromlech’ and one uncommon form of ‘cromlech’ in particular (although also found in

west France and Ireland) was, for decades, debated amongst antiquaries as having long-assumed associations with the mythology of druids.

Glyn Daniel was writing in the mid C20th and Kendrick (also quoted by the author of the letter) in the early C20th. W. C. Lukis (a Guernsey antiquary credited by Daniel with the first essay in classifying particular burial chambers) in the last quarter of the C19th. All were, in turn and within a century, concerned with evolving a classification for megalithic monuments as part of a furtherance of a credible science – archaeology. Happily that science has now matured sufficiently to facilitate an accessibility for non-specialists, non-archaeologists and even non-scientists, as the popularity of televised archaeology programmes bears witness to.

Guernsey’s prehistory is part of that of the Western Atlantic seaboard, so a generic term in common usage in Brittany and as defined by a (nowadays) commonly quoted ‘authority’ ...

‘A dolmen is a type of megalithic tomb common in Europe (Wikipedia).

... would seem to me to be quite appropriate for ease of recognition on local currency.

Should, however any authority with jurisdiction to veto the use of the word ‘dolmen’ be so inclined, then they need look no further than utilising a classification recognisable to Glyn Daniel, who incidentally placed Le Dehus amongst eight of the most famous antiquarian curiosities (of Europe) and oldest surviving architectural monument (in NW Europe) alongside the likes of Stonehenge and Carnac, in which case the following terminology derived from page 43 of his aforementioned publication should appeal.

‘Normal or Pavian (i.e. not undifferentiated) type of the passive grave form with side-chambers’.

Try asking a Breton for directions to one of those!

D LANE

3 Kingston Terrace

Les Amballes

St Peter Port