Menga dolmen
| Menga dolmen Cueva de Menga | |||
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 Entrance to the dolmen from the northeast |
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Location in the province of Málaga |
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| Coordinates | 37 ° 1 '26.8 " N , 4 ° 32' 54.1" W | ||
| place | Antequera , Málaga , Andalusia , Spain | ||
| Emergence | around 3500-3000 BC Chr. | ||
| Dimensions | about 50 × 40 meters | ||
The Menga Dolmen (also Cueva von Menga ) is a gallery grave near Antequera in Andalusia , which is one of the most important megalithic buildings in Europe. Together with the Dolmen de Viera and the Tholos de El Romeral , 1.7 kilometers away , it forms an important ensemble of Neolithic architecture . The Antequera Dolmen Sites was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2016 .
location
The barrow of the Dolmen de Menga is located in a wide valley on the northeastern outskirts of Antequera; the Dolmen de Viera is only about 90 meters away.
Dating
The dating of the building is unclear - older research advocated an age of around 4000 to 4500 years, while recently a much earlier date and thus a significantly higher age of around 5000 to 5500 years has been assumed. In any case, the buildings of the Dolmen de Viera and the Dolmen de Menga should not only be close to one another in terms of space, but also in time.
architecture
The grave mound (tumulus) of the Dolmen de Menga has a diameter of about 50 meters and is over 4 meters high. A comparatively short corridor, which is oriented to the northeast ( azimuth 45 °), leads into a large, almost semicircular closed space divided by three central pillars. This oval room deviates slightly to the south from the orientation of the entrance. Annex rooms are not available.
The megalithic complex covered by the hill is made up of 31 precisely hewn and almost seamlessly joined blocks with a total weight of around 1600 tons. The largest ceiling tiles weigh around 180 tons. The total length of the underground system is 27.50 meters. The height rises inwards from 2.70 meters at the entrance to 3.50 meters at the south-western end stone. The maximum width of 6 meters is reached in the rear area of the oval room. Here is a 19.50 meter deep well shaft with a diameter of 1.50 meters.
The hill and the entire stone architecture are well preserved to this day. Since no remains of bones or grave goods were found inside the building, its use as a burial site is not undisputed. The idiosyncratic and non-lockable architecture, which - in comparison to other megalithic buildings - creates a large space, could also have served as a place of worship or a meeting place. In addition, a change in use cannot be ruled out. The orientation of the Dolmen de Menga deviates completely from the standard construction direction of other dolmens on the Iberian Peninsula . This is explained by the orientation towards the Peña de los Enamorados mountain , which from a distance reveals the outline of a human face.
- Drawings from 1887
entrance
Section and floor plan
inner space
literature
- Leonardo García Sanjuán, José Antonio Lozano Rodríguez: Menga (Andalusia, Spain): a biography of an exceptional megalithic monument , in: Luc Laporte, Chris Scarre (eds.): The Megalithic Architectures of Europe , Oxbow, Oxford / Philadelphia 2016, p 3-16.
- Juan Fernández Ruiz / José Enrique Márquez Romero: Dólmenes de Antequera: Guía oficial del conjunto arqueológico , Sevilla 2009. ISBN 978-84-8266-865-9
- Reynaldo González: Arte prehistórico (Las claves del arte; Vol. 6). Editorial Planeta, Barcelona 1995. ISBN 84-08-01416-1
- Reynaldo González: Las claves del arte prehistórico (Las claves del arte / Estilos; 1). Editorial Ariel, Barcelona 1989. ISBN 84-344-0464-8
Individual evidence
- ↑ Antequera dolmens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Travels to Spain, 2016, accessed November 30, 2016 .
- ↑ Chris Chaplow: Menga, Viera and El Romeral Dolmens. www.andalucia.com, accessed October 19, 2015 .
- ↑ a b c Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera. Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (Spanish)
Web links
- Dolmen de Menga - photos, sketches + information (Spanish)
- Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera. Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Cultura (Spanish)
- Dolmen de Menga Patrimonio Inmueble de Andalucía (Spanish)
- Dolmenes de Antequera. (Spanish)
