cist

funerary object or place

Also known as: stone chest

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Also called:: Stone Chest

Related Topics:: shaft graves

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cist, prehistoric European coffin containing a body or ashes, usually made of stone or a hollowed-out tree; also, a storage place for sacred objects. “Cist” has also been used in a more general sense to refer to the stone burial place itself, usually built in the form of a dolmen, with several upright stone slabs supporting a flat roofing stone.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.