Prehistoric Portugal

 

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Location: Póvoa e Meadas, Alentejo.

Grid Reference:  39° 24' 36" N 7° 23' 15" W

 

• Menhir da Meada. (Standing Stone).

Description -   Located in the Alentejo, 10 km north of Castelo de Vide, in the Portalegre district. This menhir, the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, stands just over 7m high with a 1.25m girth and illustrates the importance of the area in prehistoric times.

It was re-erected in 1995 by the Portuguese heritage.

Apparently its height is due to the fact that it belongs to a line of menhir's which were carefully arranged so that each one was visible from the next (The Menhir of Meada stands in a lower elevation than the others) (1).

The same region (Castelo de Vide), also offers over 50 megalithic remains, and lies close to the Extremadora region of Spain, which also offers a high concentration of megaliths.

(Click here for map of the site)

 

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Menhir da Meada: (The largest Standing-stone in Iberia) The profile of the hills at Valencia de Alcántara (Spain), when observed from the large menhir at Póvoa e Meada, cover the azimuth range (85º-110º), relevant for the Spring Moon/Sun crossover observation, suggesting a spring-Moon relevant landscape profile in the Alentejo region. (2). The importance of the landscape becomes obvious when standing beside the menhir which has (or could have), an almost 360° view of the surrounding landscape. Marvao is orientated SE (making a natural marker for the winter solstice sunrise?) (Other Portuguese sites) (Return to Top)

 

Gallery of Images:

The full moon illuminating the tip of the menhir.

(Other Megaliths in the area) 

(List of Prehistoric Portuguese sites)

(Portugal Homepage)

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