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

Boaventura, Rui; Moita, P.; Pedro, J.A. Costa Branco De Oliveira; Mataloto, Rui; Almeida, Luís Ferrand de; Máximo, Jaime; Pereira, André; Santos, J. F.; Ribeiro, Sara

doi:10.2307/j.ctv1zckz4z.4

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…In the Iberian Peninsula, where thousands of megaliths have been discovered and catalogued, however, geoarchaeological approaches have been undertaken only in a few cases. These include La Chabola de la Hechicera, Dolmen de Aizkomendi, and Puigseslloses [15][16][17][18], in the north; Vale Rodrigo, Anta da Lajinha, and Freixo-Redondo, in Portugal [19][20][21]; El Portillo in inner Iberia [22]; and Alberite [23], Palacio III [24], Panoría [25], El Pozuelo [26], and Menga [11] in the south.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the Mountain and the Sea: Provenance of the Stones of the Prehistoric La Pastora Tholos (Valencina de la Concepción, Seville, Spain)

Cáceres,

Donaire,

Ramírez-Cruzado

et al. 2024

Minerals

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La Pastora tholos is the most complete and characteristic megalithic monument of the Valencina de la Concepción-Castilleja de Guzmán mega-site. This monument was built using three types of rock, each with different functions and coming from three different places: Paleozoic quartzarenite, granite, and Tertiary calcareous sandstone. A detailed petrological study of the rocks of the tholos and outcrops of similar rocks in the surroundings has been carried out, locating the possible source areas in areas at least 30 km to the N of the monument for the quartzarenite, 15 km for the granite, and 15 km to the S for the sandstone. Therefore, the community that built the monument has a high knowledge of the nature by, which allows them to locate these resources, and a sufficient social organization to exploit them and move them to the mega-site. In this sense, the layout of the outcrops suggests the possible use of boats or rafts to facilitate their displacement, or at least part of their movement.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From the Mountain and the Sea: Provenance of the Stones of the Prehistoric La Pastora Tholos (Valencina de la Concepción, Seville, Spain)

Cáceres,

Donaire,

Ramírez-Cruzado

et al. 2024

Minerals

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Choosing the site, getting the stones, building the dolmens: local sourcing of andesites at the El Pozuelo megalithic complex (Huelva, Spain)

Catela

Romero

Molina

et al. 2023

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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The geoarchaeological study focuses on the lithological characterization and provenance determination of the rocks of the El Pozuelo dolmens. The difficulty of identifying volcanic rocks in the intensely altered and deformed environment of the Iberian Pyrite Belt has required the implementation of a research methodology combining the archaeological and geological analysis of the megaliths and the area surrounding the Los Llanetes group. A total of 29 thin sections and 14 geochemical analyses (ICP-AES, ICP-MS and REE) have been carried out on samples from the dolmens and potential source areas, focusing on the chemical elements considered immobile during alteration processes. The petrological analyses confirm the identification of different andesite lithotypes and enable us to correlate the rocks used in the construction of the megaliths with source areas and quarries located within a 50–350 m radius. Several patterns are observed in the selection of the rocks, based on the material, visual and symbolic properties of the different lithologies. Foliated andesite is the most common stone used in the monuments, due to its excellent physical properties and technological suitability for extraction and transformation into megalithic supports. Other types of andesite (sheared, massive and amphibole-phyric), white quartz, ferruginous agglomerate and gabbro were also used for different architectural purposes. The results confirm the importance of locally available suitable rocks in determining site location, raw material procurement and monument construction during the Late Neolithic.

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

Abstract: Financial support for the meeting Mega-Talks 2 has been provided by the project Moving megaliths in the Neolithic (PTDC/EPH-ARQ/3971/2012), funded by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) and the Municipality of Redondo (Portugal).

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

From the Mountain and the Sea: Provenance of the Stones of the Prehistoric La Pastora Tholos (Valencina de la Concepción, Seville, Spain)

From the Mountain and the Sea: Provenance of the Stones of the Prehistoric La Pastora Tholos (Valencina de la Concepción, Seville, Spain)

Choosing the site, getting the stones, building the dolmens: local sourcing of andesites at the El Pozuelo megalithic complex (Huelva, Spain)

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