Ancient Tombs

INSCRIBED a cultural world heritage site, the Antequera Dolmens site is located at the heart of Andalusia in the Iberian Peninsula of southern Spain.

It comprises three megalithic monuments (the Menga dolmen, the Viera dolmen and the tholo of El Romeral) and two natural monuments (La Pena de los Enamorados and El Torcal mountains).

Built during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, the three tombs are among the largest and most complete megalithic structures in Europe. They are chamber-like structures with lintelled roofs (the dolmens) and false cupolas (El Romeral). They were used for rituals and funerary purposes by people of a highly organised prehistoric society. The dolmens were probably constructed between 3500 and 3000 B.C. while El Romerel was built later, in approximately 2500 B.C. All three tombs are buried beneath mounds of soil and are well-preserved.

Menga dolmen, the largest in Europe, is almost 30 metres long. The largest upright stone weighs 180 tonnes. It is covered by a 50-m diameter tumulus. The dolmen's fame lies in its geographical orientation among other things. On the morning of the summer solstice, the sun shines over the peak of La Pena de los Enamorados and straight along the entrance corridor of the dolmen. This exact positioning would have been of great spiritual importance to ancient people.