Anta dos Pombais

Also known as: Anta do Pombal Ancient and more recent construction collide in this strange shelter or shed in the Castelo de Vide countryside. Originally a prehistoric anta (or dolmen), it was converted into a more modern farm construction. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the effects of the modern world on ancient structures. This …

Menir da Meada

Under the bright blue Alentejo sky, the stone pillar points straight up to heaven. Walk around it, feel the solid stone under your fingertips. Realize that multiple millennia ago, people carved this stone into a spear-shaped phallus and planted it upright into the soil. A human erection thrusting to the heavens, it persists and impresses …

Anta do Pincho

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, …

Anta do Sobral

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 …