Great Dolmen of the Fanica Road

Category: Archaeology > Dolmen

District: Santarém > Coruche > Couço

Location:

The Anta Grande do Caminho da Fanica is located near the village of Couço, in the municipality of Coruche. It is situated in a predominantly rural area with an open landscape. Its position within the natural surroundings is one of the elements that contribute to the perception of its scale and antiquity.

This megalithic monument is relatively close to National Road 2, set in a rural landscape that invites careful observation of the vestiges of the past.

A Glimpse into Antiquity:

This dolmen is a remarkable vestige of human presence in the region dating back thousands of years. Its construction dates from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, somewhere in the 3rd millennium BC. These monuments were places of central importance for prehistoric communities, serving both as collective burial sites and for the performance of rituals.

The site was the subject of archaeological study in 1931, under the direction of Manuel Heleno, which allowed for the collection of essential information about its chronology and function, helping to integrate the Anta Grande into the vast panorama of Iberian Peninsula megalithism.

The Megalithic Structure:

The Anta Grande do Caminho da Fanica features architecture characteristic of the dolmens of its era. It has a polygonal burial chamber, originally composed of seven large vertical stones, or orthostats, of which five remain to this day. It impresses with its dimensions, reaching about 3.5 meters in diameter and an approximate height of 2.4 meters.

Although the capstone that once crowned the structure is no longer present, it is possible to observe what remains of its access corridor, oriented to the east, about 2.2 meters long and defined by lateral slabs. Outside, the vestiges of the mamoa, the large mound of earth and stones that surrounded and covered the dolmen, are still identifiable, suggesting it was a construction of considerable size and prominence in the original landscape.

Material Evidence:

The excavations carried out at Anta Grande allowed for the recovery of some artifacts, mostly stone tools. These finds, although perhaps less abundant than in other similar monuments, are important as they offer clues about the daily life, practices, and technology of the populations who built and used this sacred site millennia ago.

A visit to the dolmen thus offers direct contact with the vestiges of an ancestral society, allowing one to imagine the lives and rituals that unfolded in this very space about 5000 years ago.

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