Category: Archaeology > Dólmen
District: Viseu > Penalva do Castelo > Esmolfe > Penedo Com
The Anta or Orca do Penedo Com is located in Esmolfe, a village in the municipality of Penalva do Castelo, in the Viseu Dão Lafões region. This monument is set in a predominantly rural and tranquil environment, on an isolated plain. The site is embraced by a forest area of wild pine, settling in a serene valley between the Sezures and Oronho streams. This natural setting offers a calm atmosphere conducive to reflection, far from the hustle and bustle of more urbanized areas.
This imposing dolmen, known both as Anta and Orca do Penedo Com, transports us to a remote past, having been erected in the 4th millennium BC, during the Megalithic Period. Originally, it functioned as a collective sepulchre, a ceremonial burial site for the communities that inhabited this place thousands of years ago. Its presence is a silent testament to the funerary practices and social complexity of our prehistoric ancestors, currently serving as a significant historical-cultural landmark.
The Anta do Penedo Com stands out for its considerable dimensions. Its chamber is polygonal, composed of nine orthostats (large vertical stone slabs), some of which remain complete, while others show the mark of time with fragmentations. The chamber's original capstone remains in place, giving a sense of completeness to the structure. A well-defined corridor, with four granite monoliths on each side, connects the exterior to the chamber, offering a perspective on ancestral engineering. Outside, it is possible to observe traces of a double ring of granite blocks that once delimited the 'mamoa', that is, the mound of earth and stones that covered the funerary monument.
This site of historical interest has been the subject of various archaeological investigations over time. Excavations have revealed a wealth of artifacts that underscore the importance of the dolmen as a burial site. Elements such as flint and rock crystal arrowheads, blades, polished stone axes, bones, and various ceramic fragments, including bell-beaker pottery, were discovered. These findings allow historians and archaeologists to draw a clearer picture of the life and rituals of the populations who lived in and used this site millennia ago, enriching the cultural value of the dolmen.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 40.69408875,-7.66982342
Coordinates DMS: 40°41'38.7"N 07°40'11.4"W
Weather Esmolfe
On-duty Pharmacy Esmolfe
