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Very old
The Almendres stones date back to the 6th millennium BC
The construction of these structures dates back to the 6th millennium BC. They were rediscovered in 1966 by Henrique Leonor Pina, who was carrying out field work for the country's geological charts.
Phases
Building phases run from the Early Neolithic to the Late Neolithic
Excavation found three phases, Almendres I, II and III, dated to about 6000 BC, 5000 BC and 4000 BC. The older stones form two or three concentric circles in the west, and the Middle Neolithic structures consist of two ellipses and large menhirs.
The stones
About 95 granite monoliths stand in small groups
The complex is the largest group of structured menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula, and one of the largest in Europe. It is marked by a forest of about 95 granite monoliths in small groups, over an area of 70 by 40 metres.
95granite monoliths in the complex, in small groups
The sky
The layout may have been used to watch the sky
Ninety-two of the menhirs form two grounds oriented to directions associated with the Equinox. Monolith number 8 has a cut flat top with several dimples and might have served for finer astronomical observation, especially of the spring equinox.
Carvings
About a dozen stones carry carved drawings
About a dozen monoliths show carved drawings, in lines and radials. Menhir 48 shows a schematized human figure surrounded by circles and associated with a crozier. Many stones were rebuilt by Mario Varela Gomes, based on the rediscovery of the original bases.
Day 2, morning
Next is Agua de Prata Aqueduct.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Almendres Cromlech, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.