Also known as: Anta das Tapadas do Pincho Standing in a pasture in the middle of the Alto Alentejo, the silence all around you is almost palpable. The railway line nearby has long since been abandoned. The dirt track gets little, if any, traffic. The cows are elsewhere. There’s nothing to hear but insect whine, …
Walk across the field, scanning the area for cows or other residents. Enjoy the view across the fields to the hilltop town of Castelo de Vide. Feel the wind in your face as you walk through the low meadowland. As you reach the top of the small rise, the stones appear before you. Towering over …
Also known as: Anta da Nave do Grou As the wind blows across the meadow, it carries the sound of hissing traffic on the nearby road as well as the tinkling of bells of the cows in the pasture. The grass on the mound wavers in the wind all around the stones. The ancient structure …
Also known as: Anta do Senhor da Serra This dolmen is located on private property. I requested permission from the property owner to visit the anta, but never heard back. Therefore I can’t present a personal site visit. This anta is one of the three Antas de Belas, which were declared National Monuments as a …
The cars and trucks go whizzing past. They used to be able to stop and refuel, allowing the people inside a chance to get out and stretch their legs. Now the motorway exit and nobody stops and gets out. The megalithic tomb is largely unvisited and only rarely seen as the vehicles rush past. The …
The rush of traffic on the nearby motorway is noticeable but not overwhelming. The buzz of the electricity wires overhead is a gentle background noise. Occasionally you can hear a distant shout of a person in the apartment buildings at the edge of the field. Mostly, you’re aware of the warmth of the sun and …
Walking through the fields in this Alto Alentejo countryside, horses gambol around you. Splash across the small stream and look up at the hill before you. A towering eucalyptus tree near its top stands out in the landscape, and you make for it. As you climb the hill, the trees clear out and you see …
Portuguese: Monumento pré-histórico da Praia das Maçãs Also known as: Tholos do Outeiro das Mós, or Tholos da Praia das Maçãs 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 …
Also known as: Anta de Vilarinho da Castanheira Picnic tables invite you to sit, rest, and refresh yourself. The pine trees sway and whisper softly in the breeze. Meanwhile, the ancient stone construction reminds you that people were here thousands of years ago, making their own special place. Look closely: what secrets might it hold? …
ALSO IDENTIFIED AS: Dólmen 2 (or Anta 2) de Chão Redondo, or Monumentos Megalíticos do Chão de Redondo From a distance, it doesn’t seem very extraordinary. There’s a remnant of the large mound of stone and earth which originally covered the prehistoric tomb. The tomb itself looks fairly typical of an average-sized neo-chalcolithic chamber tomb. …