Prehistoric remains

posted in: Home, Portugal | 0

I was keen to revisit some of the prehistoric remains which we had previously found in this area, but our map failed us and so I only have one to show you, and a post from a previous visit. This really wasn’t good enough and so I had plans for our last day!

Necropolis of Boa Norte

This necropolis was only discovered in 1971 and is alongside the dam of Povoa and Meadas. There are eight tombs dating from the 5th-11th centuries. The many prehistoric remains in Portugal are perhaps a surprise to tourists, and there is a lot of information about where to find them on the Megalithic Portal.

A walking trail is laid out at the dam but we had done enough for the day. Several camper vans were parked here and you can see why this might be a popular camping site, if you are self-contained.

Dam of Povoa and Meadas
View over the dam
Necropolis at Povoa and Meadas
The graves

Lumps of granite

Another feature of the Alentejo is the enormous outcrops of granite and these were good examples at the dam. Farmers often pile up the granite stones of the antas and burial chambers to plough fields and so you need to take a careful look at the various piles of rock. I think these were what they were!

Outcrop of granite in the Alentejo
Outcrop of granite

Prehistoric remains in Portugal are fascinating and I wish I knew more about them – there just isn’t enough time. The one I remember with particular pleasure was near Evora. 1

Sources

  1. https://www.montclair.edu/profilepages/media/408/user/12_Pope_Miranda.pdf

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