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The Planning and Orientation of the Rego da Murta Dolmens (Alvaiázere, Portugal)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2018

Alexandra Figueiredo ,
Benito Vilas-Estévez  and
Fabio Silva
Alexandra Figueiredo
Affiliation:
Unidade Departamental de Arqueologia, Conservação e Restauro e Património, Instituto Politécnico de Tomar, Tomar, Portugal and Centro de Investigação Geociências, Portugal
Benito Vilas-Estévez
Affiliation:
Departamente de Historia, Arte e Xeografia, University of Vigo
Fabio Silva*
Affiliation:
Faculty of the Humanities & Performing Arts, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus, Ceredigion SA48 7ED, UK IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain and Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Zona Educacional, 4 – Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
*
Corresponding author: Fabio Silva Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

During the excavation of Rego da Murta Dolmen I, a structure belonging to a megalithic cluster in central Portugal, a number of small sub-quadrangular quartzite stones were found embedded within a layer below that of the deepest orthostat. In this paper, we report on these findings and highlight three key features of these small stones, namely their location relative to the dolmen’s plan, the distances between them, and their orientations. We suggest the quartzite stones could have been markers used in the planning of this megalithic structure. In addition, we analyse the orientations of the two main structures of the cluster (Dolmen I & Dolmen II), which are reflected by the orientation of the quartzite stones. We tentatively suggest potential landscape and skyscape alignments for their orientations, including three hypotheses for the observed differences in orientation between the two.

Résumé

Plans et orientation des dolmens de Rego da Murta (Alvaiázere, Portugal), d’ Alexandra Figueiredo, Benito Vilas-Estévez, et Fabio Silva

Au cours d’excavations du dolmen 1 de Rego da Murta , structure appartenant à un groupe mégalithique dans le centre du Portugal, un certain nombre de petites pierres de quartzite pas tout à fait quadrangulaires furent découvertes enfoncées dans une couche en dessous du plus profond orthostat. Dans cet article nous présentons le compte-rendu de ces trouvailles et soulignons trois aspects clés de ces petites pierres: à savoir leurs positions par rapport au plan du dolmen, les distances entre elles et leurs orientations. Nous proposons que ces petites pierres de quartzite auraient pu être des marqueurs utilisés dans l’ élaboration du plan de cette structure mégalithique. De plus, nous avons aussi mesuré et analysé l’orientation des deux principales structures du groupe (Dolmen I et Dolmen II), reflétées par l’orientation des pierres de quartzite et suggérons avec précaution d’éventuels alignements avec le paysage et le ciel pour celles-ci, y compris trois hypothèses pour les différences d’orientation observées entre les deux

Zussamenfassung

Die Planung und Orientierung der Dolmen von Rego da Murta (Alvaiázere, Portugal), von Alexandra Figueiredo, Benito Vilas-Estévez, und Fabio Silva

Während der Ausgrabung von Dolmen I von Rego da Murta, einer zu einem megalithischen Cluster in Zentralportugal gehörenden Anlage, wurde eine Anzahl kleiner, in etwa viereckiger Steine aus Quarzit gefunden, die in einer Schicht unterhalb des am tiefsten reichenden Orthostaten eingelagert waren. In diesem Beitrag stellen wir diese Funde und Beobachtungen vor und stellen drei bemerkenswerte Merkmale dieser kleinen Steine heraus, nämlich ihre Position in Relation zum Plan des Dolmens, der Abstand zwischen ihnen sowie ihre Orientierungen. Wir diskutieren, dass diese Quarzitsteine als Markierungen während der Planung dieser megalithischen Struktur benutzt worden sein könnten. Darüber hinaus erfassen und analysieren wir die Orientierungen der beiden wichtigsten Strukturen dieses Clusters, Dolmen I und Dolmen II, wie sie durch die Orientierung der Quarzitsteine reflektiert werden, und schlagen vorläufig mögliche Ausrichtungen anhand von Landschafts- und Himmelsmerkmalen vor, einschließlich dreier Hypothesen für die festgestellten Orientierungsunterschiede der beiden Megalithen.

Resumen

Planificación y orientación de los dólmenes de Rego da Murta (Alvaiázere, Portugal), por Alexandra Figueiredo, Benito Vilas-Estévez y Fabio Silva

Durante la excavación del dolmen 1 de Rego da Murta, estructura perteneciente a un conjunto megalítico en el centro de Portugal, se documentó una serie de pequeñas piedras de cuarcita sub-cuadrangulares embebidas en un nivel inferior a la parte más profunda del ortostato. En este artículo, presentamos estos descubrimientos y señalamos los tres rasgos fundamentales de estas pequeñas piedras, como son su localización relativa con respecto a la estructura dolménica, las distancias entre ellos y sus orientaciones. Sugerimos que las piedras de cuarcita podrían haber sido marcadores empleados en la planificación de la estructura megalítica. Además, presentamos la medición y análisis de las principales estructuras megalíticas del conjunto (Dolmen I y II) que se reflejan en la orientación de las cuarcitas y sugerimos posibles alineamientos con el paisaje y el firmamento, incluyendo tres posibles hipótesis para explicar las diferencias observadas en su orientación.

Keywords

megalithic tombsPortugalarchaeoastronomyskyscapesLate NeolithicChalcolithicwindow of visibility
Type
Articles
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 84 , December 2018 , pp. 207 - 224
Copyright
© The Prehistoric Society 2018 

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