Necropolis do Pessegueiro
The Necropolis do Pessegueiro (also called Cemitério dos Mouros) is located south of Porto Covo and Sines in the Setúbal district on the Alentejo coast on the Atlantic in Portugal .
Pessegueiro is a necropolis made up of a number of closely spaced stone boxes that are located near a Bronze Age settlement. The as yet unprotected site is divided into two zones by fences. Discovered in 1972, the necropolis was the subject of extensive excavations carried out by Joaquim Vilhena between 1975 and 1979. The interior of the stone boxes was examined in 1985 by archaeologists Antonia Soares Coelho and Júlio Costa.
The stone boxes are rectangular, rarely more than 1.0 m long and mostly covered with monolithic ceiling tiles. Each lay under a small, rectangular, curb-lined hill. The interconnected grave enclosures give the monument as a whole a honeycomb appearance. The hills were mainly built of earth. The stone material used was sandstone and slate .
Generally the boxes were used for a single burial. In some cases the stone box was reused, as evidenced by overlapping burials. The dead were laid down as side stools (in a fetal position) and not covered with earth. In most cases they were accompanied by a ceramic. Sometimes no additions were deposited either. This was interpreted as a reflection of a culture that, although already hierarchically structured, still had a structure that was largely based on family relationships and is known as Southwest Bronze ( Portuguese Bronze do Sudoeste ).
In the eastern area of the area, five Neolithic individual graves were uncovered. Iron Age graves were also discovered in the Bronze Age area .
The Ilha do Pessegueiro ( German "Peach Tree Island " ) is a small Atlantic island that belongs to the municipality of Porto Covo.
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Coordinates: 37 ° 50 ′ 1.4 " N , 8 ° 47 ′ 12.4" W.