Antequera dolmen sites

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The Antequera dolmen sites have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since July 2016 . A series of three megalithic monuments from the Neolithic ( Dolmen of Viera Dolmen of Menga ) and the Bronze Age ( Tholos of El Romeral ) as well as two natural monuments (the Peña de los Enamorados mountain with an anthropomorphic profile and the El Torcal massif ) have been included in the World Heritage List. recorded in the heart of Andalusia.

The ensemble is Spain's 45th World Heritage Site and one of the most important examples of megalithic architecture in Europe. The natural monuments not only form a visual reference point within the cultural site. The location and shape of the megalithic monuments also indicate an important ritual significance of the connection between nature and burial sites.

The extraordinary universal value of the dolmen sites is based on three of the ten admission criteria . The transport and assembly of the numerous stone blocks weighing tons using rudimentary technology and tools are an outstanding example of human creativity (criterion i). In addition, dolmen sites are widespread throughout Europe, but in Antequera they are a unique expression of an independent tradition that has disappeared and is characterized by an inseparable connection between the buildings and the surrounding natural monuments (criterion iii).

The two dolmens of Viera and Menga were built from large stone blocks during the Neolithic period and each have a typical lintel, while the Tholos of El Romeral dates from the Bronze Age and differs from the other two tombs in the dome construction that was widespread at the time . The original structure of the three megalithic monuments has been almost completely preserved and is a special testimony to a long-gone cultural tradition.

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