Hypogea of ​​Biniai Nou

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Coordinates: 39 ° 54 '20.7 "  N , 4 ° 12' 44.5"  E

lili rere
Biniai Nou - Hypogeum 1
Biniai Nou - Hypogeum 2

The hypogea of ​​Biniai Nou are two tombs from the Copper Age on the Balearic island of Menorca . They are currently the oldest dated structures on the island.

location

The archaeological site is located in the municipality of Maó about 5 km west-northwest of the city center on the Biniai Nou estate. It is about 750 m away from the island road Me-1. Since the hypogea is on private land, a visit is only possible after prior registration.

excavation

The two tombs were excavated in 1997 and 1998 by an archaeological team with the support of the Museum of Menorca. These excavations unearthed grave goods, including ceramic vessels , awls , and fragments of radiolarite . The importance of Biniai Nou lies particularly in its dating. The radiocarbon analysis of one of the human bones provided the oldest dating from the prehistory of Menorca and thus the oldest evidence of human presence on the island (calibrated 2130–1930 BC).

The collapsed roof of Hypogäum 2 was restored in 2000.

description

One of the burial traditions of the first human communities in Menorca was the construction of collective graves. Some tombs were built entirely above ground, such as the dolmen of Ses Roques Llises . Others, such as Biniai Nou, consisted of a circular chamber carved horizontally in the rock and a corridor made of large stone slabs, covered with earth.

Hypogeum 1 has a slightly concave facade with a central entrance. This leads to a corridor that is covered by a double-panel system. The chamber has an oval, almost circular plan and a stone bench on the left. The chamber and corridor are in good condition. Since the hypogeum was used as a house for pets for a long time, the archaeologically interesting layers had already been destroyed by the time of the excavation. In 1997, only a few human teeth and bones were found in a depression in the bottom of the chamber. Age determination based on the C14 dating of one of these bones revealed a period from 2290 to 2030 B.C. The 13 C and 15 N isotope analyzes also carried out , however, indicate a diet with a large proportion of freshwater fish , which makes the age determination appear at least 100 years older. The bone therefore comes from the time between 2130 and 1930 BC. Chr.

Before the hypogeum, numerous fragments of large ceramic vessels were found, which testify to social practices practiced here, which were probably associated with food or drink offerings .

About 50 meters from the entrance to Hypogeum 1 is a capada de moro , a small round niche that is often found in Talayotic necropolises both inside and outside hypogeenes. Its exact function is unknown, but it is undoubtedly related to funeral rites.

Hypogeum 2 also has a slightly concave facade with a central entrance that leads to a short corridor. The burial chamber is circular and part of its ceiling had collapsed by the time it was reconstructed in 2000. In contrast to Hypogeum 1, numerous human bones and grave goods were found. The archaeologists were able to distinguish two layers, which were separated by a floor made of stone slabs. Although the chamber had been emptied before the tiles were laid, some remains of the lower layer could still be recovered. Age determinations for these older bones indicated that a person was around 2000 BC. Had died. Other dates show that the tomb was around 1500 BC. Was remodeled. At least 81 men, women and children were buried here, most of them after the renovation. The infant mortality must have been high at this time, because 22 of the buried people were children under the age of 4 years. Around 1100 BC The use of the hypogeum ended. A single burial also has between 400 and 200 BC. Took place.

Dimensions

Hypogeum 1:

  • maximum diameter of the chamber: 3.20 m
  • Door width of the chamber: 0.80 m
  • Width of the facade: 7.25 m
  • Length of the corridor: 2.50 m
  • Width of the corridor: 1.00 m
  • Corridor height: 1.20 m

Hypogeum 2:

  • maximum diameter of the chamber: 2.25 m
  • maximum height of the chamber: 1.00 m
  • Door width of the chamber: 1.00 m
  • Width of the facade: 3.50 m
  • Length of the corridor: 1.85 m
  • Width of the corridor: 1.00 m
  • Corridor height: 0.70 m

Monument protection

The hypogea of ​​Biniai Nou is protected as a cultural asset ( Bienes de Interés Cultural ). The current registration number at the Spanish Ministry of Culture is RI-51-0003515.

The site is one of the 32 archaeological sites that Spain officially proposed on January 14, 2016 as " Talayotic culture of Menorca " for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List . The World Heritage Committee postponed the application at its 41st meeting in July 2017 and requested improvements.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Antoni Nicolau Martí, Elena Sintes Olives, Ricard Pla Boada, Albert Àlvarez Marsal: Talayotic Minorca . The prehistory of the island. Triangle Books, Sant Lluís 2015, ISBN 978-84-8478-640-5 , pp. 120-123 (English).
  2. ^ José Luis Gómez: Memoria de excavación del Monumento nº 2 de Biniai Nou. Campañas 1997-1998 . In: Víctor M. Guerrero Ayuso, Simó Gornés (ed.): Colonización humana en ambientes insulares: interacción con el medio y adaptación cultural . 2000, ISBN 84-7632-600-9 , pp. 417-444 (Spanish).
  3. ↑ a b Biniai Nou hypogeums on the Menorca Talayótica website, accessed on May 20, 2017.
  4. ↑ a b Ferran Lagarda i Mata: Biniai 2 (Sepulcros Megalíticos) on the website www.arqueoguia.com (Spanish), accessed on May 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ Mark Van Strydonck: From Myotragus to Metellus . A journey into the prehistory and early history of Mallorca and Menorca. LIBRUM, Hochwald 2014, ISBN 978-3-9524038-8-4 , p. 52 (Dutch: Monumentaal en mysterieus - Reis door de prehistorie van Mallorca en Menorca . Leuwen 2002. Translated by Jürgen K. Schmitt).
  6. ↑ a b c José Simón Gornés Hachero: Sociedad y cambio en Menorca: sistematización de los contextos arqueológicos de las navetas funerarias entre el 1400 y el 850 CAL ANE , Barcelona 2016, ISBN 978-84-490-6612-2 (Dissertation Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2016, full text online ), p. 16 (Spanish).
  7. ↑ Cala Morell necropolis on the Menorca Talayótica website, accessed on May 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ferran Lagarda i Mata: Biniai 1 (Sepulcros Megalíticos) on the website www.arqueoguia.com (Spanish), accessed on May 22, 2017.
  9. ^ The monuments in the nomination on the website Menorca talaiòtica des Consell Insular de Menorca (English), accessed on October 29, 2017
  10. ↑ World Heritage Committee (Ed.): List of nominations received by February 1, 2016 and for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session (2017) . (English, unesco.org [PDF; 427 kB ]).
  11. ↑ World Heritage Committee (Ed.): Decisions adopted during the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee (Krakow, 2017) . (English, unesco.org [PDF; 4.5 MB ]).

Web links

Commons : Hypogea of ​​Biniai Nou  - collection of images, videos and audio files