Aliviada Dolmen or Mamoa 1 of Aliviada or Painted Dolmen of Escariz

Category: Archaeology > Dolmen

District: Aveiro > Arouca > Escariz > Zona Industrial das Lameiradas

Location

The monument stands in the Lameiradas Industrial Zone, on the outskirts of Escariz, in the municipality of Arouca. Surrounded by thickets of low-lying vegetation, it rests on a small granite outcrop beside a rural road.

In the immediate vicinity, about 50 m away, two other tumuli emerge, lending the site an archaeological atmosphere of rare density.

Origin and Historical Value

Dated to the Neo-Chalcolithic period (late 4th to mid-3rd millennium BC), this dolmen served as a sepulchral chamber for prehistoric funerary rituals. Listed as a National Monument, it is part of a large megalithic complex extending from Sever do Vouga to Arouca, bearing witness to the evolution of agricultural and pastoral communities.

Its preservation, despite weathering and previous interventions, still allows for an understanding of ancient construction techniques and the ritual of depositing offerings.

Structure and Materials

The interior has a sub-rectangular plan, delimited by nine vertical granite orthostats. Although fragmented, the stone roof demonstrates mastery in the selection and placement of blocks of different sizes.

The local stones themselves, extracted from the granite outcrop, reinforce the monument's integration into the landscape and underscore the close relationship between culture and the natural environment.

Art and Symbolism

Seven of the nine orthostats exhibit traces of engravings and paintings with wavy and geometric motifs. These decorations, typical of megalithic art in Northern Portugal, elicit diverse interpretations, from ophiolatric cults to representations of purifying water lines, but retain their original mystery.

The contrast between the grey granite and the pigments that once stood out lends the site a unique aesthetic and symbolic dimension.

Natural Environment

The dolmen benefits from a tranquil natural setting, with scattered trees and sub-shrubs that soften the presence of the nearby road. The surroundings invite a serene visit, where the reading of the landscape unfolds in parallel with the contemplation of thousands of years of history.

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