Prehistoric Portugal
LightNews LightNews
banner
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
Prehistoric Portugal
@prehistoricpt.bsky.social
110 followers 46 following 84 posts
🪨 Exploring Portugal, one ancient site at a time! 🪨
Megaliths, rock art, ancient caves, fossil sites & more
website: https://prehistoricportugal.com/
videos: https://www.youtube.com/@prehistoricportugal
Posts Replies Media Videos
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #standingStoneSunday here's one of Portugal's few stone circles. Vale Maria do Meio was only found about thirty years ago and it's a fabulous site with a rich history! Learn more in my video visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHtS...
#Neolithic #megaliths #megalithic #cromlech
A photograph of menhirs (standing stones) in Portugal's Alentejo: the cromlech of Vale Maria do Meio
November 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
"Temos [muitos sítios pré-históricos]. Temos tudo — menos visão. E enquanto essa faltar, continuaremos a ser o país que esquece as suas pedras."
Um excelente artigo de opinião de Paulo Freitas, que levanta muitas ideias que vale a pena considerar.
alentejoilustrado.pt/paulo-freita...
Uma fotografia do Cromeleque dos Almendres, mas as pedras são "esquecidas" - estão preta e branca, como fantasmas
October 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
The Cromeleque da Portela de Mogos is a beautiful stone circle standing in a cork oak forest in Portugal's Alentejo. It's only 12km from the famous Almendres cromlech but this one is famously unknown!

Take a virtual visit by video here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5H3...

#StandingStoneSunday
A photograph of standing stones (menhirs) in a cork oak tree forest: the Cromeleque da Portela de Mogos
October 12, 2025 at 7:12 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's the first cromlech in Portugal to be discovered! You can't visit it, but you can read about it and see photos here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2025/09/crom...
A photograph of a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of standing stones
September 14, 2025 at 5:11 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday here's a photo of the absolutely gorgeous Cromlech of Portela de Mogos nestled in a cork oak forest in the Alentejo.

More about it here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2025/09/crom...
A photograph showing standing stones, menhirs, in the middle of a cork oak forest
September 7, 2025 at 7:34 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's a small but fascinating cromlech: Fontaínhas Cromlech. It's one of only a handful of cromlechs still standing in Portugal (all in the central Algarve).
Learn more here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2024/06/crom...
A photograph of six standing stones in a field: the Fontaínhas Cromlech of Mora, Portugal A photograph of six standing stones in a field: the Fontaínhas Cromlech of Mora, Portugal A photograph of six standing stones in a field: the Fontaínhas Cromlech of Mora, Portugal
August 17, 2025 at 11:12 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #TombTuesday, here's the impressive Anta da Melriça just outside Castelo de Vide. It stands well over 3m tall and its capstone is easily 3m across.
Learn more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2025/04/anta...
A photograph of the dolmen, the Anta da Melriça, standing in a field
August 12, 2025 at 3:17 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday here is the Menhir of Alto da Cruz, a cup-mark festooned #standingstone (about 50 cupules!) in Portugal's Alentejo region. Does this stone show a link between prehistory and Roman times? Find out more (and visit its cruciform neighbours): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo9w...
Photograph of a standing stone in the Alentejo countryside
August 10, 2025 at 12:24 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's Iberia's only known cross-shaped alignment of standing stones: the Megalithic Cruciform of Alto da Cruz

More here: prehistoricportugal.com/2025/08/meni...
August 3, 2025 at 8:22 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
Across Portugal, a few prehistoric megalithic tombs were transformed into chapels. They still serve as places of worship today.

🕊️ A peaceful Sunday reminder that some ground has always been holy.

🎥Come visit them: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1R...

#Megaliths #AncientArchitecture #SacredSites
A photograph of a Christian church, with a prehistoric dolmen on the side serving as a chapel Inside a dolmen-chapel, with a shrine to Santa Maria Madalena A dolmen-chapel - a prehistoric tomb that's been turned into a Christian chapel A dolmen-chapel that's been painted blue and white
June 1, 2025 at 7:29 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
At 7.5m tall, the Menir da Meada is the tallest menhir in all of Iberia. And it's been dated to 5,000BC, possibly the oldest one dated.
Come visit it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxvh...

#StandingStone #StandingStoneSunday
May 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
This #TombTuesday I'm grateful that yesterday when Portugal had a massive nation-wide powercut, I was out in the countryside admiring this gorgeous dolmen in the sunshine, surrounded by wildflowers. No electricity needed!
#Portugal #megalith #megalithictomb
A prehistoric megalithic dolmen overlooking the Rio Tejo
April 29, 2025 at 1:54 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
The ornately carved Menir 3 of the Vilarinha alignment (in the Algarve) is in the Silves Museum for preservation. There's an imposter standing in for it on locale!
Read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2024/05/menh...
#StandingStoneSunday #StandingStones #menhirs #megalith
A photograph of a menhir (obelisk) in a museum
April 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's a photo of the impressive Anta da Melriça, a dolmen in Portugal's Castelo de Vide municipality that stands over 3m tall!
Video visit here: youtu.be/A8EjQfM6k7c?...
#megalith #dolmen #prehistory
Photograph of the Anta da Melriça, a 3m+ megalithic structure, with a person standing next to it for scale
April 6, 2025 at 11:21 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's a gorgeous Neolithic dolmen just outside Castelo de Vide, on the Eastern edge of Portugal: the Anta do Sobral.
More info, photos & video here: prehistoricportugal.com/2025/03/anta...

#megalith #megalithic #dolmen #Portugal
A photograph of a dolmen - a megalithic tomb - called the Anta do Sobral, in Castelo de Vide, Portugal
March 30, 2025 at 12:16 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
It's a day early for #TombTuesday but it's #StPatricksDay2025 - and so here's a photo from Ireland's famous Newgrange with its exquisite entrance stone.
Happy #StPatricksDay from Portugal!
Feliz Dia de São Patrício! ☘️
A photograph of the entrance at Newgrange, showing the ornately carved entrance kerbstone, the entrance itself and the lightbox above the entry
March 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #StandingStoneSunday, here's a lovely little menhir from Caramujeira (Algarve, Portugal) that's being housed in a museum in Silves. It sports some gorgeous serpentiform carvings!
#Portugal #menhir #menir #Algarve #megalith
More about the museum here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2024/05/silv...
A photograph of a deeply carved menhir, from Portugal's Algarve. It's currently in the archaeological museum in Silves
March 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
Vera Leisner (& her husband, Georg) was a giant in the field of prehistoric archaeology: excavating and analysing megalithic structures around Portugal for decades.
Read more about this amazing woman here: ophiussa.letras.ulisboa.pt/index.php/op...

#internationalwomensday #megaliths #archaeology
March 8, 2025 at 2:52 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
One of my favourite images of the Anta do Monte Abraão, standing tall (3m high!) in the sun, surrounded by yellow wildflowers. In the background, the Sintra Mountains. A gorgeous dolmen surrounded by urban development.
#StandingStoneSunday
Read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2025/02/anta...
A photograph of the dolmen Anta de Monte Abraão in Portugal: in the background are the Sintra Mountains, foreground are yellow wildflowers
March 2, 2025 at 2:29 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #FossilFriday, here's my favourite type of fossil: ichnofossils! The Natural Monument of Lagosteiros has some fabulous dinosaur footprints in a beautiful corner of Portugal right on the ocean.
#ichnofossils #Prehistoric #Portugal

Read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2023/11/lago...
A photograph showing fossilized dinosaur footprints along a rock face surrounded by bushes, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in Portugal.
February 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
There's a neolithic dolmen in the outskirts of Lisbon. The Anta da Estria is surrounded by modernity: motorways have been built all around it, leaving it on an "island" between high speed roads!

read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2025/02/anta...

#TombTuesday #Neolithic #dolmen #megalith
A photograph of the "headstone" or main orthostat (upright stone) of the Anta da Estria, a neolithic megalithic dolmen (tomb). The stone is covered in ichnofossils: trace fossils showing the tracks of prehistoric animals
February 11, 2025 at 11:07 AM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #FossilFriday, here's a photo of an enormous trilobite fossil from the museum in Canelas, Portugal. They have a fabulous collection of slate sheets with trilobite fossils, including some of the largest #trilobites ever.
Read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2023/12/tril...
A photograph of a fossilized trilobyte in slate, with a human hand for scale
February 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
This red sandstone menir stands on a ridge in Portugal's Algarve. It's one of four Neolithic stones in an alignment stretching several kilometers. It's identified as Vilarinha 3.
...But it's not!
Read more here: prehistoricportugal.com/2024/05/menh...

#StandingStoneSunday #StandingStones
A photograph of a red sandstone menhir (standing stone) on a hilltop in the Algarve area of Portugal
February 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #FossilFriday, a favourite #ichnofossil: the tracks of a (probably) Iguanadon at Portugal's Natural Monument of Lagosteiros. It's on the tip of Cabo Espichel, which is rife with dinosaur tracks.

Read more here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2023/11/lago...
Photograph of rocks and bushes, showing a long track of dinosaur footprints fossilized into the stone
January 31, 2025 at 2:59 PM
prehistoricpt.bsky.social
For #TombTuesday, here's a neo-Chalcolithic dolmen in Portugal's Alentejo: the Anta da Coutada de Barbacena, near Elvas. Its capstone balances on two of its remaining uprights, and there seems to be a repurposed menhir in the corridor.
Read more here:
prehistoricportugal.com/2024/11/anta...
January 28, 2025 at 11:05 AM