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GPS 38.55752141328286, -8.061235752181625

The Almendres Cromlech is located in the parish of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, in the municipality of Évora, District of Évora, in Portugal.

It consists of a prehistoric stone circle (cromlech) with 95 stone monoliths. It is the most important megalithic monument of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most important in Europe, not only because of its size, but also because of its state of conservation.

The Almendres Cromlech was first classified as a Public Interest Property, in 1974, and then as a National Monument, in 2015. The Almendres menhir, located nearby, is classified as a Public Interest Property.

Location and discovery

The cromlech is located near the top of a gentle slope, facing east, on a hill 413 meters high, about 12 km west of the city of Évora. The set was discovered in 1964 by the researcher Henrique Leonor Pina, during the mapping work for the Geological Map of Portugal. At that time, the vegetation that occupied the site was cleared and some pieces of pottery and a polished stone ax were discovered.

In recent decades, several archaeological campaigns have been carried out at the site, organized by Mário Varela Gomes. Most of the monoliths, which had fallen, were replaced in their original positions during the works.

The cromlech is on private property, but the monument area was given to Évora City Council for public use.

History and context

The Évora region is densely covered by archaeological sites ranging from the beginning of the Neolithic (from 7000 to 8000 years ago) to the Iron Age, including menhirs, dolmens, necropolis and prehistoric settlements. The cromlech of Almendres thus belongs to the megalithic universe of Évora and is related to other stone circles nearby, such as the Cromlech of Portela de Mogos, in Montemor-o-Novo.

According to the archaeological work carried out at the site, it is believed that the set was formed in three stages:

• At the end of the Early Neolithic (end of the sixth millennium BC) a set of small monoliths was erected, grouped in three concentric circles. The largest of these circles measured 18.80 m and the smallest 11.40 m. There are currently 22 menhirs standing in that enclosure, two fallen and the remains of support structures from five others;

• In the Middle Neolithic (fifth millennium BC) a new enclosure was built to the west of the previous circles in the form of two concentric, irregular ellipses, adjacent to the older enclosure. The outermost ellipse measures 43.60 m on its major axis and 36 m on its minor axis. During the archaeological work, 29 standing menhirs and 17 fallen menhirs were found there, in addition to support structures for 11 menhirs that had already disappeared;

• In the Late Neolithic (third millennium BC) the two enclosures were modified, especially the smaller one, which was transformed into a kind of atrium in the larger enclosure. With the remodeling, the smaller enclosure possibly started to guide the entrance to the elliptical enclosure, with a function in the socio-religious solemnities that were held there. Furthermore, it is possible that during this period some monoliths with engravings were added to the two enclosures and that some menhirs were partially flattened, transforming them into stelae. In the Chalcolithic, the set ceased to be used, probably due to the influence of metallurgist societies that replaced the Atlantic megalithic culture.

Characteristics

It is a cromlech erected on the east side of a hill. The monoliths are predominantly small in size, ovoid, sub-parallelepiped and sub-cylindrical, but some reach 2.5 to 3 m in height and have a phallic or stellar shape. They are composed of different types of quartzdiorites, which reveals the varied origin of the monoliths. Two quartzdiorite and granodiorite outcrops located 250 m and 1 000 m from the cromlech could have been used to carve them.

The large menhirs were placed on pre-prepared alveoli (cavities) that reach the rocky substratum under the ground. A crown of stones was placed around the base of these menhirs, then covered with earth and smaller stones, which helped in support. The smaller menhirs also had smaller alveoli and the smaller ones were supported only by a crown of stones. Currently there is a layout plan for each of these monoliths, all numbered, making it possible to identify the individual characteristics of each one.

Decorated menhirs

Ten of the cromlech's monoliths have decoration in the form of reliefs or engravings, four of which have only "dimples" (a series of small holes excavated in the stone). The others are:

• Menhir 48: features a small anthropomorphic figure associated with a crosier;

• Menhir 57: on a purposely flattened face, it shows a series of 13 reliefs in the form of crosiers. These figures also occur on other menhirs and are probably representations of objects of social prestige built in schist and perishable materials. In fact, shale staffs are found in Alentejo megalithic monuments;

• Menhir 56: on a flattened face, it shows a stylized representation of a large human face, with a nose, eyes and mouth. It can be considered a menhir statue;

• Menhir 76: also has an anthropomorphic figure, like menhir 56. The decoration of both is similar to the menhirs in the Cromlech of Portela de Mogos;

• Menhir 64: located near the center of the larger enclosure, it features reliefs in the form of paddles and circles;

• Menhir 58: It has three representations of solar disks, associated with wavy lines that represent rays.

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