Anta Grande do Zambujeiro
The Anta Grande do Zambujeiro is the largest megalithic complex in Portugal . It is located southwest of the city of Évora near the small river Ribeira da Permanca . The Anta is one of the largest megalithic tombs, which is why it is also known as the "Stone Age Cathedral" and has been declared a national monument. Anta is the Portuguese name for around 5000 megalithic structures or dolmens , which were built during the Neolithic in the west of the Iberian Peninsula by the successors of the cardial or imprint culture .
Research history
The grave was discovered in 1964 when the 20-tonne capstone was blown up and is now protected against erosion under a cover made of corrugated iron.
construction
The megalithic cult building has a total diameter of about 50 m and consists of a polygonal chamber and a long corridor , which together are 19 m long. There was a stone pavement in front of the entrance. The width of the chamber, divided into quarters by vertical panels, is five meters on the floor.
Similar subdivisions of quarters could be observed in the northern group of the funnel cup culture, especially in Mecklenburg and Swedish plants. The small bowl stones found nearby are also present in the northern group as well as in Great Britain and France . The Anta was covered with a mound of earth six meters high and 70 meters in diameter. The bearing stones now protrude about six meters from the ground.
Finds
During the excavations, the following were found:
- about 500 pearls , different in shape and material,
- almost 30 stone axes or their fragments
- more than 800 blades and blade fragments
- 40 intact vessels and 1,800 vascular fragments,
- 154 incised slate idols and around 1000 fragments,
- over 500 arrowheads
A stratigraphic structure of the material was possible due to special find circumstances. According to this, blades, pearls and stone axes belong to the older phase, in which ceramics , arrowheads and slate idols did not yet appear.
See also
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literature
- Ana Palma dos Santos: Monumentos megalíticos do Alto Alentejo . Lisbon 1994, ISBN 972-918416-X .
- Camara Muncipal de Évora (1992): A Guide to the Megalithic Monuments of the Evora Region.
- Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .
See also
Web links
Coordinates: 38 ° 32 ′ 21.3 " N , 8 ° 0 ′ 51.8" W.