Almendres

The Almendres Cromlech is the largest existing group of structured menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula.

The construction of these structures dates back to the 6th millennium BC. They were rediscovered in 1966.

The excavation of the site unearthed a series of both megalithic and neolithic construction phases; Almendres I 6000 BC, Almendres II 5000 BC, and Almendres III 4000 BC. It is believed that the monument either had a religious/ceremonial purpose or functioned as a primitive astronomical observatory.

The stone circle, which is made up of around 100 one to three-meter-high stones made from various types of rock and some of which were transported from far away, now consists of a double stone oval facing west-east in the shape of an “8”.

Stonehenge, used from 3000 BC., is about 3000 years younger.