Tag:archaeological_site=souterrain
 archaeological_site = souterrain
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| Description |
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| An underground, stone lined space on a prehistoric/ early medieval site. |
| Group: historic |
| Used on these elements |
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| Requires |
| Status: in use |
| Tools for this tag |
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A souterrain is a stone lined underground area, mostly found under fortification_type=ringfort or neolithic (historic:civilization=prehistoric + historic:period=neolithic) and Iron age (historic:civilization=prehistoric + historic:period=iron-age) mounds. Other regional names for it include fogou (in Cornwall, pronounced foogoo) and earth house. On older maps, they are often labelled as "Cave", however, since they are man made rather than natural, the tag natural=cave does not apply.
Where they are collapsed, an indentation can be recognized on satellite imagery.
They are often associated with local lore about buried treasures, people going missing for some time in the "fairy world" or as entrances into the underworld.
How to map
Set mode 
at entrance or draw outline 
of the entire souterrain (if known) and add historic=archaeological_site + archaeological_site=souterrain.
If the historic era of its origin is known, add historic:civilization=* and/ or historic:period=*. Regional references to monument/ heritage lists can also be applied.
Gallery
Culsh Earth House or Souterrain
Earth house Crichton Mains Anderson
Halliggye Fogou
Finnis souterrain, 9th century AD
Entrance to the Souterrain at Drumena Cashel, Co. Down
Entrance to Oweynagat (the Cave of Cats), according to Irish mythology, entrance to the underworld
