Chronology
Identified in 1969, this cromlech—somewhat unusual within the so-called “Évora megalithic universe” due to its quadrangular layout—was erected between the early 4th millennium and the mid-3rd millennium BC.
Description
Developing around a central phallic-shaped menhir approximately 4 metres high, which features several small cup-marks (“covinhas”) along one of its faces, this megalithic monument is composed of 50 menhirs. These range in height from about 1.20 to 1.50 metres, some of them also phallic in shape, while others have an almond-like form.
Although the cromlech underwent an intervention in 1969 aimed at restoring its original layout, this reconstruction did not follow strictly scientific criteria. The author of the reassembly, José Pires Gonçalves, based his work on the assumption that the cup-marks present on one of the menhirs indicated their original arrangement.
At present, most of these menhirs are fractured, with only their upper sections remaining.
This is the only monument relocated within the entire Alqueva reservoir area, having been reinstalled in 2004.