The Jersey Dolmens

Fist Pump. It's time for The Situation. We're heading for Jersey. Thank God it's not New Jersey. I don't think I have the longsuffering to deal with Snooki and the gang.

We're going to Jersey (metaphorically speaking of course, unless you are reading this in Jersey and in that case, you're not going to Jersey, you're already there). Jersey, or as it is properly known, the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous part of Great Britain and an island off the coast of Normandy.

There are a number of important sites on Jersey that have megalithic structures on them including La Hougue Bie, Le Pinacle and the Dolmens of La Ville ès Nouaux Saint Hélyi Jèrri.

La Hougue Bie is a communal passage grave that dates to at least 3500 BC. The term passage grave though is a bit deceiving as it wasn't really a burial place. In stead it probably functioned like a church for the early inhabitants of Jersey. Ceremonies and rituals would have taken place here. Interestingly, two Mediaeval chapels were built atop the mound.

Le Pinacle

Le Pinacle is actually a natural structure. However, because it resembles a menhir it was used as a ritual site by the earliest fist pumping, beer drinking coastal delinquents who would eventually devolve into an MTV show. Le Pinacle was used a lot in history. The earliest artifacts come from a Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement. But there are also artifacts from Iron Age inhabitants as well. The Romans built a temple on the site.

While I could ramble on about the Megalithic structures of Jersey for days I'll conclude it with one final site, the Dolmens of La Ville ès Nouaux Saint Hélyi Jèrri. This site is interesting because it shows that the Beaker people were probably the Neolithic builders on the Jersey Shore. This site shows a small stone circle with a table in the middle. It resembles a portal grave so someone is probably buried under there. However, after reviewing it throughly for six minutes I have decided that it is an early Neolithic picnic table. The stones surrounding the table obviously wouldn't make for good benches so there purpose was defensive in nature. This arrangement of stones would make it more difficult for Neolithic ants to get to the food on the table. It's a pretty ingenious construction.