Dolmen Of Pedra Branca
Description
The burial chamber's roof (in stone or wooden slabs) was supported in the middle by a large, 2.20m. tall, quartzite pillar, which had the structural function of sharing the weight of the crypt's roof with the other supports. The main polygonal chamber, measuring 3.85m. x 3.40m, reached by an entrance corridor, was covered by transverse slabs. A trapezoidal chamber on the left side was a separate compartment, measuring 3.5m. x 1.5m. Apart from the quartzite pillar, other materials used were sandstone and limestone. In addition to skeletons, many funerary offerings have been discovered. The dolmen is situated high on a hill that visually dominates the surrounding Vale de Figueira area.
The lower level of the tomb dates from 2500 BCE in the late Neolithic and contains most of the funerary offerings, including an archer's armband, arrowheads, blades, beads, engraved schist plaques, idols, cups, and vases. The upper level from around 2000 BCE in the late Chalcolithic, contains bell-shaped vases, among other artifacts. Dates have been verified by carbon dating.
Excavation
Discovered by L. Trindade and A Rodrigues of the Geological Service of Portugal, the excavation was carried out by O. da Veiga Ferreira and collaborators in 1972 and 1975.
References
- ^ "Dólmen da Pedra Branca". Monumentos. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Monumento Megalítico da Pedra Branca". Odyssea. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Soares, Joaquina. "Dolmen da Pedra Branca e percurso megalítico nas terras baixas de Melides-Cascalheira". Atlas do Sudoeste Portugués. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
Further reading
- Ferreira, O. da Veiga (1975). "Le monument mégalithique de Pedra Branca auprès de Montum (Melides)". Comunicações dos Serviços Geológicas Portugueses. 59.
- Silva, Carlos Tavares da; Soares, Joaquina (1983). "Contribuição para o estudo do megalitismo no Alentejo Litoral - a sepultura do Marco Branco (Santiago do Cacém)". O Arqueólogo Português. Series IV, Vol 1.
Media related to Dolmens in Setúbal (district) at Wikimedia Commons