Outeiro Machado rock art site or Outeiro dos Machados

Category: Archaeology > Arte rupestre

District: Vila Real > Chaves > Soutelo

Location

The Outeiro Machado Rock Art Station, also known as Outeiro dos Machados, is located in the village of Soutelo, in the municipality of Chaves. This historic site is situated on a small, isolated hill, immersed in a rural environment and covered by oak trees and undergrowth. Its position rises on the upper platform of the Chaves Plain, offering a view of the surrounding landscape.

A Prehistoric Legacy on the Rock

The central point of this archaeological site is a vast granite outcrop, approximately sixteen meters long and six meters wide, reaching about three meters in height at its central part. It is on this rocky surface that a remarkable set of rock engravings is discovered, bearing witness to the presence and artistic expression of communities that inhabited this region in Prehistory.

The representations, numbering over three hundred, are distributed across the rock in various orientations. Among the visible symbols, cruciform figures, "fi" shapes, uniquely designed arches, and small depressions, known as cup-marks, stand out. Of particular interest are the engravings representing the shape of axes, symbols that possibly carried significant meaning for their creators and for the society of the time.

Significance and Protection

The Outeiro Machado Rock Art Station has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1970, a recognition that underlines its historical and cultural value for national heritage. This classification aims to ensure the preservation of this open-air rock art site, allowing future generations to appreciate and study this millennial legacy.

Within the protection area surrounding this hill, there are also traces of mining activities carried out during the Roman period, which adds layers of history to this landscape. The superposition of these human marks throughout different eras illustrates the long and continuous occupation of the territory, from the prehistoric communities that engraved the rock to the Roman presence that exploited the region's natural resources.

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