Beehive tomb

Common card · No. 444920

A beehive tomb, also known as a tholos tomb (plural tholoi; from Greek: θολωτός τάφος, romanized: tholotós táphos, θολωτοί τάφοι tholotoi táphoi, "domed tomb(s)"), is a burial structure characterized by its false dome created by corbelling, the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudbricks or, more often, stones. The resulting structure resembles a beehive, hence the traditional English name. Tholoi were used for burial in several cultures in the Mediterranean and West Asia, but in some cases they were used for different purposes such as homes (Cyprus), rituals (Bulgaria, Syria), and even fortification (Spain, Sardinia). Although Max Mallowan used the same name for the circular houses belonging to the Neolithic culture of Tell Halaf (Iraq, Syria and Turkey), there is no relationship between them.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Wilhelm Lübke, Max Semrau, Public domain