Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension
Middle Neolithic (3800-3200 BCE)·Iberian Neolithic·🇵🇹 Alentejo, Evora, Portugal
About
About Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension
Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension in Alentejo, Evora, Portugal is a Middle Neolithic (3800-3200 BCE) megalithic attributed to Iberian Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 10 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 38.5683N -7.8980E controls access to Alentejo, Evora resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for Alentejo, Evora, illustrating Iberian Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3600 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic (3800-3200 BCE)
- Culture
- Iberian Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3600 BCE
Initial construction of Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension main structure
c. 863 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
38.5683° N · 7.8980° W · 278 m · 3 mapped features
- Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension — Main Megalithic FeaturetemplePrimary temple at Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits38.5701° N · 7.8988° W
- Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension — Secondary EnclosurechamberAncillary chamber at Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension — burial gallery with stratified deposits38.5679° N · 7.8994° W
- Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension — Outlier Rock Art PanelcairnOutlier cairn panel linked to Anta da Alcoverias North Chamber — Southern Extension ceremonial landscape38.5701° N · 7.8966° W