Menir de Luzim/ Marco de Luzim

Menhir - Neolithic e Neolithic (789)
The Menir de Luzim, also known as "Marco de Luzim", is located in the Lomar place, Tapada de Sequeiros, in the border area between then parishes of Luzim e Vila da Cova and Perozelo, Penafiel. It is found on a not so rugged terrain, between hills on the Serra de Luzim range. It is commonly referred as integral part of the megalithic set of Luzim/Tapada de Sequeiros, which is composed by five mamoas, as well as the Pegadinhas de São Gonçalo place (CNS 788), where rock art was identified some meters north of the Luzim menhir. The Luzim menhir is an elongated granite monolith, of sub-pentagonal section and deployed vertically on the ground. It rises 2.15m tall above the ground and has 2.50m of total height, standing isolated and without any decoration. The 30cm archaeological survey done by Joaquim dos Santos Júnior during the 1930s, revealed that the base of the menhir was surrounded by a set of small reinforcement stones, disposed in as a wedge. The construction of the Luzim menhir is chronologically set in the Neolithic.

Overview

The site is prepared to receive visits. It is properly signposted (directional signs on the forest path and on the road) and has an information panel. It is part of a route on the Archaeological Itinerary of Vale do Tâmega - Penafiel, for pedestrians and bicycles. Next to the site there is a 25m long area, intended for parking, next to the municipal road 1301. More information at the Penafiel Municipal Museum and the Penafiel Tourism Office.

Visit conditions

Free entrance with information

Timetables

Contacts

Documents

How to get there? Best practices

Best practices

Good practices when visiting archaeological sites

To visit an archaeological site is to connect with our origins, to understand our path and evolution as a species integrated in the environment, and to respect and safeguard our heritage so that future generations can also visit and enjoy it.

Walking the paths and enjoying the structures and archaeological pieces that survived over time, fosters the understanding of what is different, but also of what is common among different populations: basically, what identifies us as Homo Sapiens.

More than just vestiges and ruins of the past, archaeological sites showcase our capacity for creative thought, adaptation, interconnection, comprehension and resilience. Without these traits we would not have been successful as cultural beings participating in an ongoing evolutionary process. These sites also allow to consider choices made in the past thus contributing for decisions in the present to be made with greater awareness and knowledge.

Archaeological sites are unique and irreplaceable. These sites are fragile resources vulnerable to changes driven by human development. The information they keep, if destroyed, can never be recovered again.

As such, the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) invites all visitors to enjoy the beauty and authenticity of these sites, while helping to preserve them for future generations by adopting the following set of good practices:

  • Respect all signs; 
  • Do not try to access fenced areas; 
  • Do not climb, sit or walk on archaeological structures and remains; 
  • Respect areas where archaeological excavations are being carried out, not disturbing them; 
  • Do not collect materials or sediments;
  • Do not write or make graffiti on archaeological structures; 
  • Put the garbage in appropriate containers. If none exist, take the garbage with you until you find a suitable container; 
  • Leave the archaeological site as you found it; 
  • Do not drive bicycles or motor vehicles over archaeological sites; 
  • Respect and protect the plants and animals that live in the areas surrounding archaeological sites;
  • Report signs of vandalism or destruction to DGPC or Regional Directorates of Culture (DRC);
  • Share the visiting experience and the archaeological sites, as a way of raising awareness to their preservation and making them better known;
  • Do not buy archaeological materials and report to public security authorities, DGPC or DRC, if you suspect that archaeological materials may be for sale.

Further information:

AIA / ATTA (2013) – Guide to best practices for archaeological tourism. 

Raposo, J. (2016) – Código de conduta para uma visita responsável a sítios arqueológicos. In Sítios arqueológicos portugueses revisitados: 500 arqueossítios ou conjuntos em condições de fruição pública responsável. Al-madan, 2ª série, p. 20 – 77. 

DGPC contacts

Phone: +351213614200 | Email: informacaoarqueologica@dgpc.pt

 


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