Dolmen G5

Hunebed G5 is the last hunebed discovered in the Netherlands and also the northernmost. It was excavated in 1982 by archaeologists from the University of Groningen under the wierde of Heveskesklooster in the Oosterhoek of Delfzijl. They were looking for the remains of a monastery of the Johannite Order.

The hunebed consists of six sidestones, one closure stone, and three capstones. This is the only example of this type of hunebed in the Netherlands, and it is called a rectangular dolmen or extended dolmen.

History

The hunebed was already partially disturbed when it was discovered, and this damage is dated to before 2200 BC.

The designation G5 indicates that this is the fifth Groningen hunebed. The numbering of the hunebeds was an initiative of Albert van Giffen. While he only numbered the hunebeds in Drenthe that he personally encountered, he also numbered the disappeared hunebeds in Groningen, including those in Glimmen and Noordlaren (G2, G3, and G4). Therefore, the new discovery was named G5.

The discovery of G5 has led to new speculation about the origin of the builders of the hunebeds, the Funnel Beaker culture, in the Netherlands. All other surviving Dutch hunebeds are located on the Drenthe Plateau, particularly on and around the Hondsrug. The location of G5, on the coast of the Ems Estuary, may indicate that members of the Funnel Beaker culture entered the country not by land but from the sea.

Hunebed G5 could not remain at the original location because it was believed that the advancing industrial area of Oosterhorn from Delfzijl would reach there. It is now located in the Muzeeaquarium Delfzijl. The accompanying Neolithic stone box is separated from the hunebed and housed in the Hunebedcentrum in Borger. The removal and splitting of this archaeological monument is a significant exception in modern times.