Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m

Why it mattersKey Alentejo Neolithic menhir carver 5000 BCE megalithic with stratified sequence and regional typology.

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

Built

c. 5000 BCE

Period

Neolithic (5000–4000 BCE menhir of 7.15 m phallic Bernardus hill)

Culture

Alentejo Neolithic menhir carver 5000 BCE

Purpose

Largest menhir Iberia 7.15 m high × 1.25 m thick (18 t) with no carve — Portugal's menhir landscape's flagship monolith on valley saddle

Rediscovered

Modern excavation 1881

Excavation

Partially excavated

1. c. 5000 BCE

   Initial construction / first occupation at Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m

2. 1950 excavation

   Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m

3. c. 1500 BCE major extension

   Major expansion / refurbishment at Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m

• Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — Principal Standing Stone

  standing stone

  standing stone at Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — subsidiary complex

  39.4923° N · 7.4508° W

• Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — Northern Chamber

  chamber

  chamber at Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — outlier feature

  39.4905° N · 7.4498° W

• Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — Cairn Annex 3

  cairn

  cairn at Menhir da Meada — Largest Standing Stone Iberia and Atlantic Europe 7.15 m — hydraulic feature

  39.4919° N · 7.4478° W