Pentre Ifan (English Pentre Ifan, Wall. Pentre Ifan) - community in the village of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. The main attraction is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic dolmen in Wales, bearing the community name.
Dolmen Pentre Ifan dates back to at least 1000 BC. e. Once known as the Artur's Ring, Pentre Ifan means “Ifana's village” and is believed to be the most beautiful of Welsh megaliths.
Initially, the mysterious structure was probably built like a tomb, but over thousands of years the ground around it weathered, exposing the structure. The multi-ton horizontal block still rests on three vertical ones. The stones from which the burial chamber is made owe their origin to the local volcanic rock. A faint but distinct trace of a decorative bowl has been preserved on the stone at the entrance.
The mysterious structure was erected at the top of the hill, most likely in accordance with the beliefs of its builders. They believed that the souls of the dead would be closer to the spiritual world if they were buried on a hill, closer to the Sun, which was revered as the giver of light, warmth and life.
Excavations 1936-1937 and 1958-1959 showed that the mysterious burial chamber was originally a shallow oval pit, on top of which a mound more than 36 m high was poured. The semicircular facade was decorated with stones placed vertically on both sides of the southern entrance. However, no traces of burial were found, and very few utensils were found.
Local tradition says that fairies sometimes appear here. They look like "little children dressed in military-style suits and red hats."
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Who built this mysterious tomb is also controversial. Until recently, it was believed that these were highly cultured tribes originating from the eastern Mediterranean region, migrating over time to the west through Greece, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Brittany, and eventually came to the British Isles and Ireland.
During the migration, these people everywhere left samples of burial chambers, tombs with dromosomes, dolmens and megaliths. However, carbon analysis challenged this theory, showing that mysterious monuments in Wales were built a thousand years earlier than their Mediterranean counterparts.