Chronology
Dating from between the early 4th millennium and the mid-3rd millennium BC—the chronological range generally attributed to the so-called “Évora megalithic universe”—this monumental, shaped, phallic menhir was erected on a plain near the hill of Monsaraz. It stands in isolation, yet in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
Description
Standing approximately 5.6 metres tall and 1 metre in diameter, this menhir was discovered in 1969 by Henrique Leonor Pina and José Pires Gonçalves, who found it lying on the ground.
At their initiative, the menhir was restored and re-erected later that same decade. With no decorative elements on its faces, everything suggests that this megalithic monument belongs to a very specific megalithic tradition, represented by other menhirs in the region, such as those of Almendres and the central stone of the Xerez Cromlech.
It is widely regarded as the most impressive isolated menhir in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most remarkable in Europe.