Our Stone Day

During our week in Evora, we wanted to take a side trip to see the Almendres Cromlech megalith, which is about a half hour drive west of the city. Yay for the rented car as there are no buses that go there.

Chris, Donna and I enjoyed the lovely drive through the countryside. We talked about the very large rocks in piles that dotted the land and wondered how they got there. No one can tell us why the piles are where they are.

The stones that we went to see are estimated to be around 2000-3000 years older than Stonehenge, which is thought to have been constructed between 3000 BC and 2000 BC.

A few things about this site really stood out for us: the location itself, nestled amongst a cork tree forest, the fact that there was no admission fee or security fences around the site, and the amazing realization that except for one other car, we were the only ones there.

The site consists of 95 granite standing stones forming two rings, the smaller round ring, constructed around 6000 BC, being the oldest. The larger ring is oval and was built later, around 5000 BC. Over all, the site measures around 70 meters by 40 meters. Originally it began as a horseshoe shape opening to the east, but changed over time.

Amazingly, it seems the site was in almost continual use until 3000 BC. As with Stonehenge, Almendres seems to have been built as a ceremonial calendar of sorts dedicated to a celestial religion. There are other megaliths in the area, but this one is considered to be one of the oldest and largest in Europe. It’s also believed to be one of the first public monuments ever created by humans.

There is evidence that around 3000 BC some of the stones were moved to align with the celestial bodies such as the sun, moon and some stars. Approximately a dozen stones have carvings on them, however they’re really difficult to see due to erosion. We looked but weren’t sure if what we were seeing was only in our imaginations.

Approximately 1 km away, we walked on a wonderful tiny path to a single megalith called the Menhir of Almendres. If a straight line is drawn from this point to the center of Almendres Cromlech, it points towards the sunrise on the Winter solstice. It is about 4m tall and dating from 5000 to 40000 BC. Local legend has it that the menhir is the tomb of an enchanted Moorish princess, who can be seen combing her hair once each year on the eve of São João.

After the site fell out of use, centuries passed and its location was largely forgotten. It was rediscovered in the 1960s by a geologist named Henrique Leonor Pina. Most of the stones were buried and covered with plants so it was hard to identify. In this area, random huge rocks are in piles all over the fields. The site was excavated and the stones that had toppled over were placed upright once more.

Even though little is known about the purpose of these old stones, there’s no denying that Almendres Cromlech is a very special place.Read more