Aspradantas Menhir Under Archaeological Investigation
From June 23 to July 2, the Aspradantas Menhir, located in Raposeira (Portugal), became the focus of a new archaeological intervention. This work is part of the ongoing international research project Megalithic Origins: the emergence of monumentality in Neolithic Western Europe, a scientific initiative launched in 2024 and scheduled to continue through 2026. The project explores various archaeological contexts across Western Europe, aiming to shed light on the complex sociocultural processes that led to megalithic monumentalization in Neolithic landscapes.
Building on the first fieldwork campaign conducted between March and April of this year, the latest phase sought to clarify initial test trench findings. Specifically, the team aimed to better understand the monument’s foundational structure, investigate the logic and motivations behind a now-eroded cut that partially damaged the menhir, and collect additional sediment samples from the base and fallen section of the stone—likely linked to an attempted act of destruction.
These sediment samples will undergo specialized laboratory analysis at Durham University, using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to determine absolute dates. This method is expected to help refine the chronology of the menhir’s erection, the symbolic rituals associated with its placement, and the timing of its partial dismantling.
In addition to the excavation at the menhir’s base and surrounding area, surveys were also conducted on two fallen monoliths located several meters uphill. These investigations confirmed that the fragments once formed a second menhir—now damaged and displaced from its original setting, yet likely associated with the main Aspradantas monument.
So far, preliminary results from this groundbreaking archaeological campaign are encouraging. They offer valuable insights into the emergence of megalithic practices in Europe and suggest that the prehistoric landscapes of Vila do Bispo may have been among the earliest sites of monumental expression in the region.
Project coordination
The project is coordinated by Marta Diaz-Guardamino and supported by an international team of researchers. Among them are Professors Chris Scarre and Florian Cousseau—Prehistory and Megalithism specialists from Durham University—as well as geoarchaeologists Ian Bailiff and Eric Andrieux, experts in absolute dating techniques. The Portuguese team was led by retired professor Mário Varela Gomes (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), alongside archaeologist Ricardo Soares, a specialist in Western Algarve Megalithism, and Ramiro Santos, both affiliated with the Vila do Bispo Museum – Celeiro da História.
