La Torre-La Janera megalithic site is located in the municipalities of Ayamonte and Villablanca in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It was discovered when in 2018 a farmer intended to prepare the land to cultivate avocados and in view of the archaeological potential of the site the local council demanded a survey to be made. [1] It is considered to be one of the largest megalithic site in Europe with over 500 standing stones. [2]
The site is in the municipalities of Ayamonte and Villablanca at about 2.5 km to the west of the Guadiana river and some fifteen km from the Atlantic in the south. [3] It was built though near the coastline as some 6000 to 4000 years ago, the sea level was two meters higher. [1] The megaliths are in about 90 hectares that are part of a 600 hectare large rural estate. [3]
The megalithic site was discovered in 2018 as in view of the archaeological potential of the site, the local council decided to execute a survey through which menhirs, dolmens, burial grounds were unearthed. [1] Following the Regional Government of Andalusia divided the area into four divisions mostly reserved for archeological investigations, and agricultural use is only permitted on about 220 hectares of the site. [3] It has at least 6 surrounding terraces and a quarries for greywacke and conglomerate
La Torre - La Jarena is described as the largest megalithic site in Europe, with hundreds of standing stones, several dolmens and geometric alignments. [1]
There are several dolmens on the site, who stand out for the small size of their chambers. [4] Some stand alone, others in groups and they were up to half a meter high. [4] Forming circles or ovals, the several dolmens diameters spanned from six to seventeen meters and forty-one coffins hewn in stone have also been found within them. [1]
So far 526 standing stones were revealed during the survey, either still standing or lying on the surface. [2] Most of the ones in an alignment of a geometric form are lying on the ground. [5]
There are two alignments in the shape of a letter, one in the shape on U or horseshoe, and another one in shape of an H. [6] The third one is an elliptic one. [6] They seem to have been created and are assembled on a hilly surface. [7] The elliptic one is within an area of almost 2 hectares and 200 meters long in its long diameter. [7] It has at least six surrounding terraces and a quarry for Greywacke. [7] The H spans 100 meters length, 80 meters width and is composed by three interconnected walls which include six menhirs. [8]
It is assumed that the first megaliths were erected in the 5th or 4th Millenia BC [9] while most constructions are thought to have been erected between 3750 and 3500 BC. [5] Eucalyptus have been planted in the region, and the area has also been affected by the construction of wind farm in 2008. [3]
A dolmen or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period and were sometimes covered with earth or smaller stones to form a tumulus. Small pad-stones may be wedged between the cap and supporting stones to achieve a level appearance. In many instances, the covering has eroded away, leaving only the stone "skeleton".
A menhir, standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found individually as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Menhirs' size can vary considerably, but they often taper toward the top.
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
A trilithon or trilith is a structure consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third stone set horizontally across the top (lintel). It is commonly used in the context of megalithic monuments. The most famous trilithons are those of Stonehenge in England.
A statue menhir is a type of carved standing stone created during the later European Neolithic Period.
Filitosa is a megalithic site in southern Corsica, France. The period of occupation spans from the end of the Neolithic era and the beginning of the Bronze Age, until around the Roman times in Corsica.
Ayamonte is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It is located near the border with Portugal on the mouth of the Guadiana River. According to the 2015 census, the city had a population of 20,357 inhabitants.
The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites near the south coast of Brittany in northwestern France, consisting of stone alignments (rows), dolmens, tumuli and single menhirs. More than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones were hewn from local granite and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany and form the largest such collection in the world. Most of the stones are within the Breton municipality of Carnac, but some to the east are within neighboring La Trinité-sur-Mer. The stones were erected at some stage during the Neolithic period, probably around 3300 BC, but some may date to as early as 4500 BC.
This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic structures.
Wéris is a village of Wallonia and district of the municipality of Durbuy, located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium.
Gavrinis is a small island in the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany, France. It contains the Gavrinis tomb, a Neolithic passage tomb built around 4200–4000 BC, making it one of the world's oldest surviving buildings. Stones inside the passage and chamber are covered in megalithic art. It is likened to other Neolithic passage tombs such as Barnenez in Brittany and Newgrange in Ireland.
Rosal de la Frontera is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Huelva, Andalusia. According to the 2008 census, the municipality had a population of 1846 inhabitants.
Villablanca is a town and municipality located in the province of Huelva, Spain. According to the 2011 census, the municipality had a population of 2916 inhabitants. The Constitution Square was designed in the 16th century and is located in the towns centre.
In recent years, many megaliths have been discovered in the Urals: dolmens, menhirs and a large megalithic cultic complex on Vera Island.
The Wéris megaliths are a group of megalithic monuments found near the village of Wéris, in the province of Luxembourg, in Belgium.
Archaeology in India is mainly done under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Megaliths in Ethiopia are large, monumental stones, that exist in Ethiopia.
The Menhir of Outeiro, also known as the Penedo Comprido is a megalith located midway between the villages of Outeiro and Barrada near the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz, in the district of Évora, in the Alentejo region of Portugal. It is a few kilometers from the Portuguese-Spanish-border. The stone was discovered on its side in 1969 by Henrique Leonor Pina and José Pires Gonçalves and, on the initiative of Gonçalves, it was raised again around 1970. The menhir was classified as a Portuguese National Monument in 1971.
Hotié, Hostié or Maison de Viviane, also known as Tombeau des Druides is a megalithic tomb in Paimpont, Ille-et-Vilaine, in Brittany. The Hotié de Viviane is one of the prehistoric monuments in the Forest of Brocéliande cursorily described in the 19th century, but more recently, following the fires that have periodically devastated the forest, rediscovered and excavated by local groups. Legend makes it the home of the fairy Viviane, where she held the enchanter Merlin imprisoned. Another legend equates it with the esplumoir Merlin. When the location of the Val sans retour, a place figuring in medieval Arthurian literature, was identified with the Val de Rauco in the 19th century, the megalithic site near the Gurvant valley took the name of Hotié de Viviane. Hotié de Viviane is also sometimes identified as Tombeau de Viviane.