Before the Celts... Iberia was one of the main centers of Megalithic culture, which seems to have come from the Middle East via Malta and spread by two routes, one up the Rhone valley and the other wrapping around the Iberian peninsula to Britain and Scandinavia.

This one in southern Portugal may be the oldest stone circle in Europe: in English called The Cromlech of the Almendres (in Portuguese, Cromeleque dos Almendres).









This megalith is among some others across Iberia shows this complex culture.

The photos and video above show this megalithic complex (commonly known as the Almendres Cromlech), situated 4.5 km west of the village of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, in the civil parish of Nossa Senhora da Tourega and Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, municipality of Évora, in the Portuguese Alentejo. The largest known collection of constructed menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula (and one of the largest in Europe), this archeological site consists of multiple megalithic structures: cromlech and menhir stones belonging to the so-called "megalithic world of Évora," with strong similarities to other cromlechs in the Evora region, such as Portela Mogos and Vale Maria do Meio Cromlech.


The history of these structures goes back to the 6th century BC. They were rediscovered in 1966 by Henrique Leonor Pina, who was carrying out field research on the geological charts of the region.

The excavation of the site involved a series of megalithic and neolithic construction phases; Almendres I 6000 BC (Early Neolithic), Almendres II 5000 BC (Middle Neolithic) and Almendres III 4000 BC (Late Neolithic). The relative chronology of cromlech and menhirs is highly complex and ranges from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period. It is assumed that the statue either had a religious or ritual purpose or functioned as a rudimentary astronomical observatory.

Architecture:
Constructed off the national road from Évora to Montemor-o-Novo, in the former civil parish of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, the chromlech is constructed just after the village of Guadalupe, in Herdade dos Almendres. It is located in the southwest of the estate, while the menhir is situated on the eastern side of the estate, facing the sunrise over the Serra de Monfu. A footpath was established by the local municipal council and incorporated into the "megalithic road" of the municipality that follows the prehistoric remains of the area.

The complex, arranged in a circular fashion, is characterized by a forest of around 95 granite monoliths, scattered in small groups. The older (early neolithic) monoliths are shaped as two or three concentric circles of smaller monoliths in the western part of the complex, while the Middle Neolithic formations consist of two ellipses (irregular but concentric) and large menhirs. In the late Neolithic period, the earlier constructions underwent changes, turning them into a site for social or religious ceremonies. Ninety-two menhirs formed two fields, which were constructed and oriented in opposite directions aligned with the Equinox.

Most of the stones were found where they stood and were rebuilt / built by Mario Varela Gomes on the basis of standards developed by the study and rediscovery of the original bases. The latitudinal position of the complex is approximately the same as the maximum moon elongation (38.55 degrees for 1500 BC); in comparison, another latitude where this occurs is associated with Stonehenge (51.18 degrees for 2000 BC).

There there are several big single stones 2.5 to 3.5 meters rounded / elliptical, most of them are smaller and shaped into groups. It occupies an area of 70 by 40 metres, oriented along an axial line northwest to southeast. The columns display signs of deep deterioration, particularly on the surfaces exposed to the elements, although the decoration is still visible. Such patterns take the shape of lines and radials, at least two of them on each surface.

Approximately a dozen monoliths exhibit some sort of carved drawings, four of which exhibit only small circular holes. Monolith number 8, with a flat top cut at about the breast level and showing many dimples, may have served for better astronomical observation, particularly spring equinox observation, by putting small stones on the dimples. These findings may also be made from stone 39 on the eastern focal point of the elliptical form. Menhir 48, also shows a geometric anthropomorphic representation, surrounded by circles and connected with a crozier.

The isolated single menhir, about 4.5 meters high and 0.9 meters in diameter, is situated near the residences or 1400 meters northeast of the main complex. The line from the Almendres Cromlech to this menhir corresponds directly to the sunrise in the winter solstice.

Another one is also Vale Maria do Meio Cromlech also in the Evora district.









Megalithic stone ring found in the Evora neighborhood of the Alentejo region of Portugal. This is believed to date back to the fifth millennium BC or earlier and to be listed as a National Monument.

Vale Maria do Meio Cromlech is situated in an region with a significant number of megalithic monuments. It is about one kilometer south of Antas da Valeira, two neolithic dolmens or megalithic tombs, and about 1.5 kilometers northeast of Portela de Modos cromlech. The Almendres Cromlech, a major megalithic site, lies about ten kilometers southwest of the city.

In 1993, a team of students from the University of Lisbon, led by Manuel Calado, identified the chromlech. Excavations in 1995, funded by the local authority and led by Prof. Calado, found 34 granite menhirs, primarily ovoid in form, with an average height of 1.74 metres. They are believed to have been coming from a granite outcrop south of the site. Suggesting an astronomical function, the stones form an east-west elongated arch, approximately 37 meters long and 25 meters wide, with the largest monoliths situated at the highest point of the site to the west.

Most stones are well preserved, but some exhibit fractures. Engravings of triangles, horseshoes and lunar crescents were found on two of the menhirs, closely resembling engravings found on the Almendres Cromlech. The arrangement of the menhirs indicated to the archaeologists that this monument had been built in two distinct phases. An attempt was made in December 1995 to understand the effort involved in the construction of the stone circles. With the aid of ropes, logs and 70 volunteers, it was possible to lift most of the monoliths.

The 1995 excavations involved guided soil sampling from various stratigraphic units. The area has been widely used for agriculture since at least the Roman period, which limited the findings, but the artifacts collected included fragments of millstone, ceramics, scrapers, chisels, chips, plates and splinters. These are all housed in the Archeology Unit of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.



If anyone wants to contribute to this megalith discussion post some from throughout Iberia, with a bit of historical info.