Also known as: Tholos do Outeiro das Mós
August 2024: The site is currently undergoing repairs and cannot be visited.
In the Neolithic era, about 4,000BC, an artificial cave was dug on this site. It had a corridor and central burial chamber with side niches. Later, a large tholos was built. The site was used through the 3rd millennium BC.
The site was originally identified in the 1920s and was excavated in the 1960s. It was declared a National Monument in 1974, but after that it was mostly abandoned and subject to neglect and vandalism. In the early 2000s, the municipality of Sintra purchased the land it was on with the objective of refurbishing it and turning it into a site for education and tourism, including an interpretive centre. Further excavations were made between 2020 and 2022. The site is currently closed, with some evidence of work being done.
The article at the left is from the book, “Roteiros da Arqueologia Portuguesa 1: Lisboa e Arredores.” (Routes of Portuguese Archaeology 1: Lisbon and its surroundings)
Translation:
“This monument, known as “tholos of Praia das Maçãs,” shows itself as a complex architectural structure, with construction phases separated in time and with diverse characteristics: in addition to the tholos itself, made up of an atrium, corridor and chamber, there are also intermediate chambers connected to the latter, which give access to the western chamber, the whole site was covered by a tumulus.
The artefacts found in the site prove that the site was used as a burial chamber for a long period of time, which extended from the Neolithic to the Later Chalcolithic.”
I have included this page to give further information and photographic evidence of a closed site. The book is copyright 1986 by the Department of Archaeology of the Portuguese Institute of Cultural Heritage, but it is currently out of print.
Location
The monument is located in the district of Lisbon, municipality of Sintra, parish of Colares. It is situated on a hill in the middle of the town of Praia das Maçãs, overlooking the beach.
Access
The entrance to the monument is off the main road, in a residential area along Rua Afonso Banheiro. It’s an easy walk up the hill from the tram (életrico) station and/or the city market.
The monument is closed while restoration work is ongoing. This has been going on for several years. It is unclear how quickly the site will be renovated and reopened.
Signage
There are signs on the gate leading to the monument describing it and the work being done.
Links
- Article (in English) from Wikipedia
- Description (in Portuguese) of the restoration project from the Municipality of Sintra (March 2022)
- Article (in Portuguese) from the journal Público about the purchase of the land by the Municipality of Sintra (2001)
- Description (in Portuguese) from the Archaeologist’s Portal of Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
- Designation (in Portuguese) as a National Monument by the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
Nearby
There are fossilized dinosaur footprints nearby on Praia Grande, and a megalithic site about 15km away at Barreira.