Countries<Spain<Andalucía [Andalusia]<Antequera< Dólmenes de Antequera

Dólmenes de Antequera(Antequera)

View on Ocity Platform

logoTwitter logoFacebook

Description

The site of the Dolmens of Antequera is a series of three megalithic monuments: the dolmen of Menga, the dolmen of Viera and the tholos of El Romeral, and two natural monuments: the Peña de los Enamorados and the Torcal de Antequera. Built during the Neolithic and Copper Ages with large blocks of stone, these monuments form chambers with lintelled roofs (Menga and Viera) or false domes (El Romeral), which have been used for funerary purposes or for rituals. The megaliths of Antequera are widely recognised examples of European megaliths. Buried beneath earth mounds, the megalithic structures resemble a natural landscape whose orientation is based on two natural monuments: the Peña de Los Enamorados and the Torcal, which form two visual landmarks within the property.

The colossal dimensions of the megaliths are characterised by the use of large stone blocks that form chambers and covered lintel-shaped spaces (Menga and Viera) or false domes (El Romeral) that bear witness to exceptional architectural planning on the part of those who built and created unique architectural forms. The close interaction of the megalithic monuments with nature, witnessed by the deep well located inside Menga, as well as the orientation of Menga and El Romeral towards the possibly sacred mountains (La Peña and El Torcal), and that of Viera towards the equinoctial sun, accentuates the uniqueness of this prehistoric landscape of funerary and ritual character. The three tombs, due to the singular nature of their designs and technical and formal differences, bring together two important megalithic architectural traditions of the Iberian Peninsula and different architectural types, a rich sample of European megalithic funerary architecture characterised by its great variety.

Image of Dólmenes de Antequera