Talaiot de Torralba d'en Salord — Alaior, Menorca
Torralba d'en Salord · So na Caçana–Torralba
Bronze to Iron Talayotic (c.1200–300 BCE)·Talayotic Menorcan·🇪🇸 Balearic Islands, Menorca, Alaior, Torralba d'en Salord estate, Spain
About
About Talaiot de Torralba d'en Salord — Alaior, Menorca
Torralba d'en Salord (Talayotic c.1200–500 BCE) south of Alaior is a compact 3-ha talayotic ceremonial cluster with two talaiots (max 5 m high), a 5-m taula enclosure (taula pillar 4.98 m highest on island, cap 3.5 × 2.2 m), hypostyle hall with Mediterranean column, rock-cut hypogea and cyclopean wall with gate. Excavated by Mascaró 1970s, its hall's central polylithic column and taula's bronze bull and incense burners reveal Taula bull cult. Core of Talayotic Menorca UNESCO 2023 rural ensemble.
Why it mattersHighest taula at 4.98 m; hypostyle polylithic column is Talayotic hall type.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Hypostyle hall function — chief store vs ritual?
Theories
- 01Taula as bull-horn altar for Phoenician-influenced Baal cult
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.1000 BCE talaiots; taula c.600 BCE; hall c.700 BCE
- Period
- Bronze to Iron Talayotic (c.1200–300 BCE)
- Culture
- Talayotic Menorcan
- Purpose
- Hilltop talaiot village and central taula sanctuary with hypostyle
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1000 BCE
Talaiots and wall built on Torralba hill
c.700–600 BCE
Hypostyle hall and taula sanctuary constructed
1970–78
Mascaró Pasarius excavates taula and hall, bull bronzes found
2023
UNESCO Talayotic Menorca inscription includes Torralba
On the ground
Structures & features
39.9120° N · 4.1630° E · 100 m · 2 mapped features
Torralba Taula — 4.98-m Pillar
sanctuary4.98-m taula pillar with 3.5-m lintel inside horseshoe enclosure with altar pit and bull figurine finds
39.9125° N · 4.1635° ETorralba Hypostyle Hall — Polylithic Column
hall13-m hall with four polylithic limestone columns supporting massive roof slabs, central hearth
39.9115° N · 4.1625° E