Відео

Haha! Maybe. Nobody really knows for sure what their purposes were. Some menirs definitely looked phallic. Others less so. Many have various carvings. Groups of menirs like this one often have alignments with the rising or setting sun at various times of the year, leading us to think they had ritual or astronomical importance. Could these be temples built with some kind of "our community needs a big temple to impress everyone else" mentality? It's possible.

Here in Portugal, it's more the Mouras Encantadas who lived in megalithic structures and built them! There are many legends here about these magical beings (often ladies) whose name gets them confused with the "Moors" ("Mouros") who controlled the land between the times of Rome and Portugal, but the Mouras legends go back to before those times.

I haven't been up to Guifões yet. (It's in Matosinhos, in the north near Porto.) The carved stone is in the Museum of Matosinhos. Swastikas seem to have been a motif in many areas. The study I read (by Fernando Coimbra) said this type (serpentiform, with cup marks) originated in Italy. I think this is the only example found in Portugal.

Thanks! It really is a gorgeous location.

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.

@@prehistoricportugal It is fascinating to see that these type of structures can be found all over Europe. UA-cam provided me with more videos about these ancient sites. Even here in the Netherlands we have some of these structures build from glacial erratic stones. But here in Holland the stones are not as big as they are in some other places. At the island of Sardinia some of the dolmen are very well preserved, considering their age.

Yes, Europe has a rich heritage of megalithic culture. But it's also a world-wide phenomenon! There are similar structures in various parts of the world. The more I learn about these places, the more I see that there's so much more to learn!

I haven't been up to Tábua area yet. It's definitely an area on my list! There's a huge cluster in Fiais da Telha.

Thanks very much. I'm glad you liked it.

Thank you very much. It's much appreciated!

Thanks. I don't know that. I'll look into it.

I had only just heard about these types of masonry. I didn't know there were any examples here in Portugal. I'll take a look!

Cheers!

Obrigado!

Obrigado! I'm just getting started. Keep an eye open.

Obrigado!

De nada! É um recinto lindissimo!

Obrigadissimo!

Thanks!