Standing tall on a hillside in the Algarve, this solitary menir bears witness to the vast stretches of time between us and the earliest occupation of this land by people, over seven thousand years ago. This menir is a tall stone of white limestone, the only one standing of a group that originally might have …
Standing midway up a hill, overlooking the Algarve coast, the scrubland stretches around you. The power lines above emit a faint hum and you can hear some sounds of work from the nearby quarry. Before you, the battered and scarred stone leans slightly to one side, as if it was tired from its long vigil. …
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 …
Also known as: Anta de Vale Beiró & Antas (Grande & Pequeno) de Caminho da Fanica Driving along the N2, Portugal’s iconic “National Road #2,” you experience the richness of the country’s geography and history. Driving along the long stretches of Alentejo countryside, you might be tempted to speed up and get to the next …
Also known as: Cromeleque do Monte das Fontainhas Velhas Standing above the flat sandy soil, the stones aim for the sky, pointing the way to heaven. Walking among them, feeling their smooth shapes and measuring their arrangement, one can only ponder their construction and purpose. Was this a temple? An astronomical marker? A social gathering …
In the quiet countryside of the Alto Alentejo, the water of the Santa Margarida stream flows slowly down to the Montargil reservoir. Along its banks, if you look carefully among the trees and bushes, lie two prehistoric tombs made of schist. They’ve endured some rough handling through the ages since they were built, both by …
ALSO KNOWN AS: Dólmen de Antelas, or in English: the painted dolmen of Antelas On a small dirt road, in the deep interior of central Portugal, rises a small hill. Go around to the back and you find that this is no normal hill: it is an artificial mound. A tumulus, or (in Portuguese) a …
ALSO KNOWN AS: Artificial Caves (Grutas Artificiais) of Tojal de Vila Chã Stand on the hilltop and listen. You can hear the hum of traffic on the nearby motorway. Heavy vehicles from the waterworks next door rumble softly. Aeroplanes gently roar overhead. Otherwise, within the fence, all is quiet. Wind blows the grass, and whistles …
In Portuguese: Grutas do Poço Velho Under the bustling town, lies a twisting labyrinth of limestone karst caves. Feel the cold, smooth stone as you duck your head: those stones have been worn away by humans for tens of thousands of years. Look into the rounded nooks: people have lain their departed loved ones there. …
Hiking up and down the hills of central Algarve, the remnants of the past are all around. There are medieval burial sites all around, and then there are the menirs. In a line running northeast to southwest, red sandstone obelisks stand sentinel over the hills. Each one different, they each have distinctive markings and shapes. …