Almendres Cromlech

The Cromlech of the Almendres is a megalithic complex, located near the village of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, in the civil parish of Nossa Senhora da Tourega e Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, municipality of Évora, in the Portuguese Alentejo. The largest existing group of structured menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula, this archaeological site consists of several megalithic structures: cromlechs and menhir stones, that belong to the so-called "megalithic universe of Évora", with clear parallels to other cromlechs in Portela Mogos .HistoryThe construction of these structures date back to the 6th millennium BC. They were rediscovered in 1966 by Henrique Leonor Pina, who was proceeding with field work relating to the country's geological charts.The excavation of the site unearthed a series of both megalithic and neolithic construction phases; Almendres I 6000 BC (Early Neolithic), Almendres II 5000 BC (Middle Neolithic), Almendres III 4000 BC (Late Neolithic). The relative chronology of the cromlech and menhirs is extremely complex and covers a period from the Neolithic to Chalcolithic, and it is believed that the monument had a religious/ceremonial purpose, or functioned as a primitive astronomical observatory.ArchitectureLocated off the national roadway from Évora to Montemor-o-Novo, in the former-civil parish of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe, it is situated just after the village of Guadalupe, in Herdade dos Almendres. The cromlech is located within the property, 1.5km southwest, while the menhir is sited on the limits of the residence to the east. The location is a rural area on the southeast flank at a slope facing the sun rise of the Serra de Monfurado, isolated from the local community. A pedestrian trail was defined by the local municipal council, and integrated into the municipality's "megalithic route" that follows the prehistoric remnants through the region.