Dolmen of Guadalperal

The Dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the treasure of Guadalperal and as the Spanish Stonehenge for its resemblance to the English Stonehenge, is a megalithic monument dating from between 2000 and 3000 BC in Peraleda de la Mata, a town in the region of Campo Arañuelo in eastern Extremadura, Spain. The monument is within the Valdecañas reservoir in the Tagus River and is only visible when the water level allows it.

The dolmen consists of 150 granite stones, called orthostats, placed in a vertical arrangement to form an ovoid chamber 5 metres in diameter. They are preceded by an access corridor about 21 metres long and 1.4 metres wide. At the end of the corridor, at the entrance of the chamber, there is a menhir about two metres high that has carving that might be a snake and several cups. It may be a representation of the river. These figures may have served as protection for the site. The chamber, of the anta type, a common construction in the west of the Iberian Peninsula, consists of 140 stones and was covered with a mound of earth and gravel. It is surrounded by another circular ring that contained the upper mound.

The monument was discovered in 1926, during a research and excavation campaign led by the German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier between 1925 and 1927. It could have been a solar temple, and also been used as a burial enclave. Roman remains found there – a coin, ceramic fragments, and a grinding stone – indicate that at that time it was safely preserved from looting. Eleven axes, ceramics, flint knives, and a copper punch were found in a nearby dump. A settlement was also found, dating to the time of construction, which presumably housed the builders. Obermaier discovered houses, charcoal and ash stains, pottery, mills, and stones to sharpen axes.

Address
Peraleda de la Mata, Spain

Established
3000-2000 BCE