5,000-year-old stone tomb discovered in Spain is 43 feet long — and it holds many prehistoric burials
Archaeologists in Spain have discovered a 5,000 -year -old stone monument which contains multiple burials and many serious goods, including weapons.
These prehistoric stone monuments, known as dolmens, are often found in European countries like Spain, France and the United Kingdom, as the 5,700 year old man Arthur Pierre In England, and they generally have stone walls and a large stone roof.
The newly discovered dolmen measure 43 feet (13 meters) long and its walls are made up of vertical stone slabs 6.6 feet high (2 m) called orthostats.
“All the dolmen was also covered with large horizontal stone slabs, and in addition to this cover, there was a tumulus [a human-made mound] of sand and small stones ” Eduardo Vijande VilaAssociate Professor of Prehistory at the University of Cadiz and Corner of the Excavations, told Live Science in an email.
The stone monument was found near the city of Teba and was gradually searched for four excavation seasons, according to the press release. Several ossuaries (small tombs containing human bones) have been found, which means that this dolmen was used as “collective burial” for several individuals, said Vijande Vila. Serious goods have been found alongside them and include shells, ivory pieces, arrow tips and a halberd, which is a weapon that is in the shape of a spear with an ax at the end.
The shells found by the team indicate trade, noted the team. “The presence of shells in an interior area reflects the importance of the sea as a prestige element and the existence of long -distance exchange networks”, ” Juan Jesús CantilloA professor of prehistory said at the University of Cadiz, in the press release.
Dolmens were used at various times around a large part of the world and often served as graves. They may have had other uses, as for rituals or dwellings, and were sometimes aligned with solar eventslike the summer solstice. Vijande Vila noted that Dolmens may also have served territorial markers and may have signified land ownership – an important designation in agricultural companies.
Spain has a large number of prehistoric dolmens. A famous example is the man of 7,000 Guadalperal dolmenwhich has about 150 standing stones and can have been used for rituals. Today, it is underwater, but it sometimes appears during drought.
Research on the new dolmen and its remains are underway.
