Small dolmen of Corte Serrão

Category: Archaeology > Dolmen

District: Beja > Vidigueira > Pedrógão > Herdade da Quinta de Dona Maria

Location

The Small Anta of Corte Serrão is located on the Estate of Quinta de Dona Maria, in the locality of Pedrógão, which is part of the municipality of Vidigueira. The site is set within a typical Alentejo plain environment, characteristic of the region, offering an experience of contact with nature and the tranquility of the countryside.

This megalithic monument is part of a set of prehistoric structures present in the area, and its surroundings allow for appreciation of the rural Alentejo landscape. The visit invites a calm observation of the territory and its past.

Ancient Testimony

The Small Anta of Corte Serrão dates back to the Neo-Chalcolithic period, a crucial phase of European prehistory, marking the transition between the Stone Age and the Copper Age. These megalithic monuments, known as antas or dolmens, were collective funerary structures, built with large stone blocks. Their presence in the landscape attests to the existence of organized communities with elaborate beliefs about death and the afterlife.

A visit to this site offers a unique perspective on the origins of human occupation in the Vidigueira region, allowing one to imagine the life and rituals of the peoples who lived here approximately five thousand years ago.

Cultural and Historical Importance

As part of the vast megalithic heritage of the Alentejo, the Small Anta of Corte Serrão represents significant cultural and historical value. Although smaller in size compared to other antas, its existence is a palpable record of an ancient civilization and its mortuary practices.

This type of construction, made of large stones (orthostats), reflects a rudimentary yet effective engineering, which allowed for the erection of durable structures, resisting time and transmitting to us today the memory of our ancestors. It is a point of interest for those seeking to understand the deepest roots of local history.

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