Lácara dolmen

Lácara dolmen

Access with side stones

rear part of the corridor

The Dolmen of Lácara (also called Dolmen del prado de Lácara ) in the Autonomous Region of Extremadura in southern Spain is a megalithic complex known as Anta in neighboring Portugal . The passage grave is the largest in Extremadura and - along with a few megalithic buildings in the Portuguese district of Évora - one of the largest on the Iberian Peninsula . It comes from the late Neolithic or the early Copper Age (approx. 4200-3500 BC)

location

The dolmen of Lácara is located northwest of the city of Mérida approx. 400 m south of the road between the places Aljucén and La Nava de Santiago at an altitude of approx. 250  m .

investment

tumulus

The dolmen was originally covered by a burial mound ( tumulus ) with a diameter of 20 to 25 m and a height of 8 to 10 m made of stones and earth, of which almost nothing has survived. However, during excavations in the 1950s, some stones of the surrounding wall were exposed.

Grave construction

The actual grave consists of carefully hewn and smoothed stones and is composed of an almost centrally located, approximately round chamber and an almost 15 m long, but only about 1.50 m high corridor. Of the once about 5 m high burial chamber with a diameter of also about 5 m, the lateral orthostats are only preserved as stumps, apart from two longer ones, whereas the ceiling stone or stones are completely missing. In contrast, the rear part of the corridor with a recessed, square portal and four of five horizontal ceiling stones is relatively completely preserved. The rear part of the corridor is symbolically separated from the front by two side stones, as is the chamber from the corridor. During the excavations, several broken stones that belonged to the complex were found in the area, including remains of the broken capstone.

See also

• Alcantara dolmen
• Cerro de la Barca

literature

• Martín Almagro Basch: Excavaciones en el sepulcro de corredor megalítico de Lácara , Merida (Badajoz) Badajoz 1959

Web links

Commons : Dolmen of Lácara  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Dolmen of Lácara, description, location + photos (Spanish)
• Dolmen of Lácara, description, location + photos (English)
• Dolmen of Lácara, description, location + photos (Spanish)
• Dolmen of Lácara, description, location + photos (Spanish)

Coordinates: 39 ° 3 '6 "  N , 6 ° 25' 13.6"  W.