When you drive through Drenthe you come across many ‘hunebedden’ or megalithic tombs. The word ‘hunebed’ comes from the word ‘huin’, which means giant in old Dutch. People used to think hunebedden were the beds or graves of giants, because who else would be able to build such large constructions. About 5000 years ago, farmers in the Netherlands lived together in communities. In Drenthe there was a farming community like this. The farmers lived in wooden houses and kept cows, sheep, goats and pigs. They also produce grain. After the harvest they make porridge out of it. They would cook this porridge in pots. The pots look like funnels. That’s why we call these people the funnelbeaker people. These people were also the ones who built the hunebedden because much of their pottery was found among the stones. That’s why we also call the funnelbeaker people the hunebedbuilers. They probably built the hunebedden to bury the most important people of the village in. The dead would be buried with jewellery potted food and weapons. The hunebedbuilders believed that the dead would have to take a long journey to the next life. Hunebedden are even older than the pyramids in Egypt. They’re the oldest constructions in the Netherlands. There are over 50 of them and most of them are in Drenthe. There used to be more, perhaps as many as a 100 but they were taken over time, to build churches and farms. In the 18th century many stones were used to build dikes. In other words, many hunebedden have disappeared entirely and none of the ones that have remained are complete. The biggest hunebed in the Netherlands is here, in Borger. The heaviest stone weighs over 3000 kilos try and lift that: it’s a giant’s job!