The Dolmen de Viera or Dolmen de los Hermanos Viera is a dolmen—a type of single-chamber

megalithic tomb A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

—located in Antequera,

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Málaga,

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

.Dólmenes de Antequera
nuevaacropolismalaga.org. Accessed online 2010-01-23. It is located only from the

Dolmen de Menga __NOTOC__ The Dolmen of Menga ( es, Dolmen de Menga) is a megalithic burial mound called a tumulus, a long barrow form of dolmen, dating from 3750-3650 BCE approximately. It is near Antequera, Málaga, Spain. It is one of the largest known anci ...

and about of another structure known as

Tholos de El Romeral Tholos de El Romeral, situated north east of the town of Antequera (Andalusia), is one of the most important examples of Neolithic architecture in southern Europe. Tholos de El Romeral, also known as ''Cueva de Romeral'' (Cave of Romeral) and '' ...

. It was discovered between 1903 and 1905 by brothers Antonio and José Viera from Antequera, who also discovered El Romeral.Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera
, Consejería de Cultura,

Junta de Andalucía The Regional Government of Andalusia ( es, Junta de Andalucía) is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31. ...

. Accessed online 2010-01-23.

Description

Like the Dolmen de Menga, it is built with an ''orthostatic'' technique: large stones standing upright. It consists of a long corridorJosé Antonio Quintana Campos
Dolmen de Viera
, Patrimonio Histórico de Antequera «Dolmen de Menga». Accessed online 2010-01-23. formed by twenty-seven stones, leading to a rectangular chamber. This is presumed to be a

burial chamber A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave. Built from rock or sometimes wood, the chambers could ...

, although only

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

and bone tools and

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

were discovered there. The burial chamber has different dimensions than the corridor: a little over high and wide,Dolmen de Viera, Antequera, Málaga
spanisharts.com. Accessed online 2010-01-23. while the corridor is high and ranges from wide at the entrance to where it meets up with the chamber. The corridor is a bit over long. The stones range from to in thickness. The dolmen is covered by a

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher ...

or ''tumulus'' in diameter. Like most Iberian tombs, it is oriented slightly south of east (96°), situated precisely so that at the summer

solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

s the sunlight at daybreak illuminates the burial chamber. The left and right sides of the corridor appear to have consisted originally of sixteen slabs each; fourteen remain on the left and 15 on the right. Five larger slabs are intact in the roof, and there are fragments of two others; it would appear that three or four more have been entirely lost. The end of the corridor is a single large

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

with a square hole near its center. This and three other monoliths surround the chamber There is a notable difference between the stones of the sides and those of the roof: the former are much more carefully worked and fit perfectly into the recesses made in the stones of the entrance and the floor.

History

The Dolmen de Viera was built in the Copper Age, 3510-3020 BCE approx. It has had the status of a National monument since 1923.

Current status

The site is owned by the Council of Culture of the

Andalusian Autonomous Government The Regional Government of Andalusia ( es, Junta de Andalucía) is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31. ...

, who manage it as part of the Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera. The dolmen was restored recently, and is open for visits by the public. In 2016, the dolmens of Menga, Viera, and El Romeral were all inscribed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

under the name "Antequera Dolmens Site".

Gallery

File:Dolmen de Viera 01.jpg File:Dolmen de Viera 10.jpg File:Dolmen de Viera. Pasillo.jpg

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolmen De Viera Archaeological sites in Andalusia Dolmens in Spain Tourist attractions in Andalusia World Heritage Sites in Spain 4th-millennium BC architecture Bronze Age sites in Europe Buildings and structures in Antequera

Description

History

Current status

Gallery

See also

Notes