Anta Poço dos Mouros

Category: Archaeology > Dolmen

District: Aveiro > Sever do Vouga > Talhadas > Ereira

Location

Anta Poço dos Mouros is situated in the rural tranquility of Ereira, an area within the locality of Talhadas, in the municipality of Sever do Vouga. This archaeological site is set within a natural, open landscape, inviting a tranquil walk to discover this ancient structure. Its location in the Sever do Vouga region offers a serene environment, conducive to contemplating history and the surrounding nature.

A Neolithic Testimony

This remarkable megalithic monument, dated to the last quarter of the 4th millennium BC, is a valuable testimony to the Neolithic period in Portugal. Anta Poço dos Mouros represents one of the oldest and best-preserved traces of human presence in the region, offering a direct link to the ancestral communities that inhabited these lands. Its existence underscores the archaeological richness of the territory and the complexity of the cultures that preceded us.

Ancestral Funerary Architecture

Anta Poço dos Mouros stands out for its funerary architecture, considered rare in the national panorama. The monument is composed of a mamoa, an artificial mound made exclusively of medium and large stones (a "cairn"), which would originally have covered the entire structure. It features a regular polygonal funerary chamber, formed by six large vertical stones, or orthostats, which remain in their original location. An extensive access corridor, also flanked by numerous orthostats, led into the interior of the tomb. The entrance, centered and exposed, reveals itself through two distinct spaces: an atrium and an internal corridor, demonstrating the complexity and symbolism associated with the burial rituals of the era.

An Open-Air Museum

Visiting Anta Poço dos Mouros is to delve into a remote chapter of human history. This archaeological site functions as a true open-air museum, allowing for close observation of an imposing work of Portuguese prehistory. The monument's size and careful construction reveal the social organization, beliefs, and remarkable technical capabilities of the communities that lived in these lands thousands of years ago, offering a unique perspective on the territory's distant past and the enduring nature of memory.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt