Category: Civil Architecture > Museum
District: Évora > Évora > Herdade da Abaneja > Portela de Mogos
The Cromeleque de Portela, also known as Cromeleque da Portela de Mogos, is situated in a serene, rural landscape, in the area of Portela de Mogos, integrated into the Herdade da Abaneja, in the municipality of Évora. The monument is nestled within a dense cork oak forest, at the top of a gentle, low-relief slope, offering a tranquil environment conducive to contemplating its antiquity and the surrounding Alentejo scenery.
This cromeleque is a remarkable ensemble of approximately forty menhirs, most of which have an ovoid shape, although there are variations in their dimensions and silhouettes. The monoliths are arranged in an irregular ellipse, measuring approximately 15 meters on its major axis and 12 meters on its minor axis, and oriented in an East-West direction. Inside this ellipse, a line of five menhirs, with one standing out due to its superior size, defines a North-South axis.
To the east of the elliptical enclosure, an additional group of six menhirs forms an impressive alignment, extending for about 30 meters. All these stones were shaped from granodiorite blocks, a robust material abundant in the region, and implanted in the ground using pits and rings of blocks, which ensured their support.
Some of the menhirs that make up the Cromeleque de Portela de Mogos exhibit remarkable artistic and symbolic richness. Their surfaces were previously flattened to receive decorations, where small circular depressions, known as "cup-marks," and relief representations resembling croziers can be observed. Other monoliths are adorned with compositions of incised lines, forming zigzag and wavy patterns, sometimes associated with semicircles and anthropomorphic figures.
One of the largest menhirs, about four meters long, stands out for displaying representations that allude to solar motifs. Particularly fascinating are four of the six star-shaped menhirs, designated as statue-menhirs. These sculptures, unique for being the first of their kind identified in Alto Alentejo and the only ones found in situ on the Iberian Peninsula, reveal details such as noses and circular eyes, with one even featuring the depiction of breasts, illustrating the depth of beliefs and rituals of the communities that erected them.
Dating from the Middle Neolithic, a period spanning the 5th and 4th millennia BC, the Cromeleque de Portela de Mogos is a site of profound historical and cultural significance. It was erected and used as an open-air religious enclosure, a function that was exceptionally maintained in periods subsequent to the Neolithic, extending until the Southwest Bronze Age. This continuity of use makes it a rare record of the permanence of ritual practices over thousands of years.
Archaeological investigations at the site, initiated in 1995, were crucial for unveiling the various layers of its history. Through excavation and a recovery program, many of the menhirs that had fallen were re-erected in their original supporting structures. Finds at the site include fragments of pottery and stone artifacts from different periods, from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic to the Iron Age and more recent times, revealing the complexity of life and beliefs of the communities that inhabited this ancient region.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.6263449,-8.0255795
Coordinates DMS: 38°37'34.8"N 08°01'32.1"W
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