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Passage grave
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==Construction and design== The building of passage graves was normally carried out with [[megalith]]s along with smaller stones. The earliest passage tombs seem to take the form of small [[dolmen]]s, although not all dolmens are passage graves. The passage itself in a number of notable instances is aligned in such a way that the sun shines through the passage and into the chamber at a significant point in the year, often at sunrise on the [[solstice|winter solstice]] or at sunset on the [[equinox]]. Many later passage tombs were constructed at the tops of hills or mountains, indicating that their builders intended them to be seen from a great distance. The interior of passage graves varies in number of burials, shape, and other aspects. Those with more than one chamber may have multiple sub-chambers leading off from the main burial chamber. One common interior layout, the [[cruciform passage grave]], is cross-shaped, although prior to the [[Christian Era]] and thus having no Christian associations. Some passage tombs are covered with a cairn, especially those dating from later times. Passage tombs of the cairn type often have elaborate [[Corbel arch|corbelled roofs]] rather than simple slabs. [[Prehistoric art|Megalithic art]] has been identified carved into the stones at some sites. Not all passage "graves" have been found to contain evidence that they were used for burial. One such example is [[Maeshowe]].
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