Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro
Coordinates | 38°32′21″N 8°0′51″W / 38.53917°N 8.01417°W |
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Altitude | 225 m (738 ft) |
Type | Dolmen |
Length | 4.0 m (13.1 ft) |
Width | 8.0 m (26.2 ft) |
Site notes | |
Archaeologists | unknown |
Ownership | Portuguese Republic |
Public access | Private |
Website | Official website |
Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro (
History
Research has dated this dolmen structure to between 4000-3000 B.C., concurrent with the megalithic construction associated with the region of Évora.
In 1965, there were archaeological excavations completed by Henrique Leonor Pina, resulting in the discovery of a number of artefacts that were transferred to the museum of Évora.
Due to its importance, the Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro (
With fears of deterioration of the archaeological site, a metallic enclosure was constructed to protect the site (1983).[2]
A secondary series of excavations were completed between 1989-1990, under the direction of Carlos Tavares da Silva (although there have been no publications on its results).[2]
Architecture
The Great Dolmen is located one kilometre north of the historical Convent of Bom Jesus of Valverde, in the civil parish of Nossa Senhora da Tourega, around Herdade da Mitra (Valverde).[2] This monument illustrates the organizational and technical capabilities of the Neolithic settlements and cultural groups of the period.
Consists of an irregular free-standing plan, composed of a single-chamber, articulated horizontal body with polygonal chamber and rectangular corridor.[2][1] The funerary chamber and access corridor are covered by size-specific slabs of rock: large granite slabs over the funerary chamber and smaller rock slabs on the entrance corridor.[2][1]
The principal face, orientated towards the east, is constituted by the projection of the corridor over the chamber face.[2]
The remaining façades are obstructed by the observation mound, which still covers almost the entire structure except for the eastern side. The polygonal chamber, consisting of seven 8 metre-high pillars, is followed by smaller 2 metre-high slabs forming a 12 metre long (1.5 metre wide) corridor.[2][1] The 7 metre coverage slab (acting as a roof), lies broken on the mound, with a sag on its western edge.[2][1]
The entrance was marked by a large menhir, decorated with dimples, which is now lying on the ground.[2][1]
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h IGESPAR, ed. (2011), Anta Grande do Zambujeiro (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: IGESPAR - Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico, archived from the original on 1 October 2012, retrieved 25 July 2011
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Branco, Manuel (1993). SIPA (ed.). "Anta Grande do Zambujeiro" (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico. Archived from the original on 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- Sources
- Pina, Henrique Leonor (1970), "Novos Monumentos Megalíticos Do Distrito de Évora", Actas do II Congresso Nacional de Arqueologia (in Portuguese), Coimbra, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Gonçalves, José Pires (1975), Roteiro de Alguns Megálitos da Região de Évora (in Portuguese), Évora, Portugal
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Silva, António Carlos, ed. (1992), Roteiro do Megalitismo de Évora, Évora, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Évora
Related links
- Almendres Cromlech
- Megalithic
- Neolithic