D36 is one of the pair of hunebeds known as the, “The Valthe Twins”, which stand a few metres apart from each other on the southern edge of the village of Valthe. The sandy path leading to them from the village is not easy to find but there is a signpost. They stand on a large open site with some fine trees, some of which seem to have grown alongside the hunebeds. The graves are in a damaged condition: D36 has only four lintels of which three have slipped and one is missing. D37 is a complete mess – two lintels lie on the ground and three are missing.
Location of D37
Visit of Professor van Giffen in 1918
Van Giffen’s description of D36 also applies to the other twin D37 – “severely damaged”. D37 is a little larger than D36. The monument must once have had 6 lintels. Van Giffen only found numbers 1, 4 and 6 and they had slipped into the chamber. 1 upright was missing but the two keystones were still in place, enabling him to determine the length (11.4 m) and the orientation (NE – SW). There was no trace of an entrance and only a tiny trace of the oval mound was recognisable. Compare the pitiful little tree in the photo with the same picture now – it has grown significantly!
(Source: Atlas of “De Hunebedden in Nederland”, dr.A.E.van Giffen, 1925)
For more information about this and other hunebeds in Drenthe see
www.hunebedden.nl and www.hunebeddeninfo.nl
Text Hans Meijer
Translation Alun Harvey
Photography Hans Meijer and Davado
