Olival da Pega 1

Anta/Dolmen - Chalcolithic (Copper Age) (15272)
This dolmen is located at one of the north eastern tip of the Reguengos de Monsaraz plains, near the Pega brook and is part of a funeral complex, composed by Olival da Pega dólmen 2 and associated tholoi (CNS 590). This megalithic monument consists of an elongated polygonal shaped chamber (roughly 4x5.6m in diameter), composed by seven orthostates organized from its headboard, around 4.4m tall, covered by a currently fractured large slab, 1m thick, and a corridor around 8.6m long. The large amount of fragmented shale slabs identified in the corridor of this dolmen may refer to a tholos. Inside the chamber and corridor, an extensive and diverse artefactual set was identified, consisting of ceramic containers, some of them complete, with different shapes and sizes, ornament elements (necklace beads and bone hair pins), zoomorphic figurines (rabbits), about 134 engraved shale plaques, a small shale idol, shale crosier fragments and ochre vestiges, which would correspond to the votive artefacts of a significant set of burials (minimum number of individuals ranging between 135 and 142). Collectively, a large number of the discovered materials are exogenous from Alentejo, being traced back to the Lisbon Peninsula, and the Spanish Extremadura and Andalusia regions. The architectural features of this monument and the materials collected inside it allow to chronologically frame its construction and use at end of the 4th and over the 3rd millennium BC (3500 - 2500 BC). The chronological funerary and ritual occupations diversity of this dolmen shows the complexity and symbolic longevity of the Olival da Pega funeral complex.

Overview

Megalithic monument integrated in the Alqueva Route.

Visit conditions

Free entrance

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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