Characterization and provenance of the slabs of the Puigseslloses Megalith, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

The Puigseslloses megalith tomb (Barcelona, Spain) is located on the summit of a hill in the Vic Plain where the sedimentary rocks that were used in its construction do not crop out. A sedimentological and petrological characterization of the monument's slabs and a multidisciplinary analysis of the outcropping materials in nearby areas has allowed the identification of three possible source areas associated with the Paleogene Banyoles Marls Formation and the Folgueroles Sandstone Formation and allows us to propose possible routes by which the slabs were transported from the catchment site to the place where the monument was built. In addition, the lithology and position of different slabs within the megalith denote the intention to separate the chamber from the corridor by using different types of slab. The position of the monument also reveals that tomb location was more of a priority than proximity to the slab sources.

Moving megaliths in the Neolithic - a multi analytical case study of dolmens in Freixo-Redondo (Alentejo, Portugal)

“…The order of magnitude of the values obtained for this study (less than 4 km) are in agreement and within the radius usually attributed to these megalithic buildings of about 5 km Jiménez et al, 2017;Vicens et al, 2010). Moreover, contrary to Jiménez et al (2017), the data obtained do not suggest the existence of a single quarry that would provide the generality of the blocks but rather the use of several outcrops dispersed throughout the area.…”

The megalithic necropolis of Panoria, Granada, Spain: Geoarchaeological characterization and provenance studies

“…5 km in radius has been proposed (Dominguez‐Bella, & Morata, ). For a more distant region, such as the northeast of Iberia, the Puigseslloses megalithic tomb was also built with stone slabs found in its surroundings, specifically in three different areas within a distance of less than 3.9 km from the dolmen (Vicens et al., ). Although more research is needed, it seems that the location of the quarries in the vicinity of the megalithic monument can be considered a general pattern (Thorpe, & Williams‐Thorpe, ).…”

“…This paper is specifically aimed at studying their geological properties and identifying the potential source area(s). As has been widely demonstrated, in megalithic studies such research has proven to be an excellent way of better understanding the social behavior of past societies (Green, ; Ixer, & Bevins, ; Parker Pearson et al., ; Scarre, , for the Iberian Peninsula: Carrión Méndez et al., ; Martínez‐Torres, Fernández‐Eraso, Mujuka‐Alustiza, Rodríguez‐Miranda, & Valle‐Melón, ; Vicens et al., ). Below, we will first describe the geographical and geological context of the megalithic necropolis; then the lithostratigraphy of the study area and the provenance of the orthostats will be studied in detail; and finally, the social and cultural implications will be discussed.…”

An interdisciplinary approach to Late/Final Neolithic coastal gallery graves in Brittany, Western France: The 3D structure, origin of stone material, and paleoenvironmental setting of the Kernic and Lerret monuments

“…The selection of stone material may have been a function of either the slab size or the mechanical constraints of the final construction. This interpretation has been applied to various monuments, such as the passage grave of Puigseslloses, Barcelona, Spain (Vicens et al, 2010), the monument of La Varde in Guernsey, Channel Islands, the United Kingdom (Bukach, 2003) and the megalithic complex of Bougon, Deux‐Sèvres, France (Mohen & Scarre, 1993; Scarre, 2004). Concerning the two Neolithic monuments under study, this interpretation may only be applied to the Kernic grave.…”