Category: Archaeology > Funerary Monument
District: Beja > Ourique > Ourique > Casarão
Located in the Casarão area, within the municipality of Ourique, the site of Fernão Vaz 1 is immersed in the typical Alentejo landscape. This area, marked by vast fields and a sense of tranquility, invites observation of the rural environment.
Its position offers an authentic perspective on the natural surroundings, a serene and characteristic tableau of this southern Portuguese region.
Fernão Vaz 1 is a remarkable funerary monument with deep historical roots, dating back to the Full Neolithic, around the 4th millennium BC. Its construction was intended to be a collective sepulchre, housing the remains of a human community from that period.
Its existence offers valuable insight into the funerary practices and beliefs of the populations that inhabited this region thousands of years ago, revealing aspects of their social organization and ancestral way of life.
This site corresponds to an anta (dolmen), a type of megalithic structure distinguished by its rectangular chamber and modest dimensions. It shows no traces of an access corridor, with the entrance demarcated by two upright stones acting as doorposts.
Around the chamber, evidence of the mamoa can still be observed, an artificial, hemispherical mound, originally constructed with earth and small schist stones, which would have completely covered the funerary monument.
Megalithism in this area of Ourique is influenced by the geological characteristics of the terrain. The predominance of schist, which generally does not allow for the extraction of large monoliths, resulted in the construction of smaller-scale monuments.
Fernão Vaz 1 is an example of this regional particularity, illustrating how prehistoric communities adapted to the available natural resources to build their funerary monuments.
A visit to Fernão Vaz 1 is a privilege, as access to the archaeological site is possible thanks to the collaboration of the landowner. It is essential that visitors show the utmost respect for the site, contributing to its cleanliness and preservation.
For those visiting with children, it is advisable that they are always accompanied by a responsible adult. It is important to note that the terrain and site characteristics do not facilitate access for people with reduced mobility.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 37.57588326534684, -8.259770932725239
Coordinates DMS: 37°34'33.2"N 08°15'35.2"W
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