Humans
Ireland's iconic megalithic tombs may have had an unexpected function
Tombs that are scattered across Ireland may have helped bring ancient societies together for feasting and remembering their ancestors
By Christa Lesté-Lasserre
5 May 2025
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The megalithic graveyard of Carrowkeel in Sligo, Irelandscenicireland.com/Christopher Hill Photographic/Alamy
Ireland’s megalithic tombs might not have been burial grounds for elite dynasties, as some thought, but rather places of community bonding.
In 2020, researchers found genetic links among dozens of people in ancient tombs scattered across Ireland and evidence of incest in a man buried in an elaborate sepulchre, leading them to conclude that the tombs held members of a hereditary ruling class, somewhat akin to Egyptian pharaohs.
Read moreWho were the enigmatic Sea Peoples blamed for the Bronze Age collapse?
Like many archaeologists, Jessica Smyth…
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