New 'Stonehenge' found in Spain - one of the largest megalithic monuments

Regular readers of our site are well awarethat many scientific discoveries are made by accident. For example, in 2021, a cartographer was updating a forest map in Sweden and found a 2,500-year-old treasury right on the surface of the earth. In particular, he managed to find a precious spiral, a necklace and many other valuable things. A similar but even more grandiose discovery was recently made in the Spanish province of Huelva. In one of the territories it was planned to build an avocado plantation, but it seems that we will have to look for another place. After all, during the study of the earth, huge megaliths - blocks of stone, which, for inexplicable reasons, were erected by ancient people on the territory of Europe. In short, scientists have found a new Stonehenge.

Major archaeological discovery made in Spain

Content

1 New Stonehenge in Spain
2 What is Stonehenge in Spain for?
3 Largest megalithic object
4 "Spanish Stonehenge" came out of the water
5 Things we know about Stonehenge

New Stonehenge in Spain

A structure made of giant stones has been discoveredon an area of 600 hectares. In total, archaeologists managed to count about 500 megalithic objects, which differ in shape and size. According to scientists, the construction was erected in the second half of the VI and the beginning of the V millennium BC.

Stones discovered by archaeologists

Most of all, scientists are surprised not even by the number of stones, but by their diversity.

Of course, most of them are huge stones.are menhirs - these are the simplest megaliths in the form of pillars. The height of the menhirs reaches 3 meters and, due to their size, they are perfectly preserved and have hardly moved from their place for many years.

Photos from the opening

Also, archaeologists managed to find dolmens - thisstones resembling tables. Scientists also discovered cysts, which are the same dolmens, but are not located on the surface of the earth, but dug into it. It is believed that cysts served as burial boxes.

Most of the megalithic structurelocated underground, so scientists will have to dig out stones for a long time. The construction was hidden by the hands of ancient people - this is how the builders did with many megaliths. Why they did this with their creations is not clear to anyone.

See also: What is Stonehenge and what mysterious objects are built around it?

What is Stonehenge in Spain for?

But one thing is clear - a structure made of stones inSpain had a sacred meaning for builders. The megaliths were neatly arranged into 26 groups, taking into account the orientation of astronomical objects. A couple of circles of stones are located on the tops of the hills, offering a good view of the surrounding area. There is an assumption that from these places people watched the sunrise during the solstices.

Map of the location of groups of prehistoric stones

The largest megalithic object

It is believed that Stonehenge in Spain is one of thethe most numerous groups of megaliths in Europe. Throughout the history of research, scientists have indeed managed to find many such structures. For example, in Ireland there is a prehistoric sanctuary of Carrowmore, consisting of 30 tombs - once upon a time there were more, but over the years they were destroyed. And on the French peninsula of Kernelen is the Barnenes mound, which was built about 4.5 thousand years BC and is considered the earliest Neolithic in Europe.

One of the tombs in Carrowmore

The largest megalithic structurelocated in France - it is known as the Karnak stones. It is located in the north-west of the country, in the commune of Karnak, and consists of more than 3,000 prehistoric megaliths. When exactly this structure was built, scientists do not know. One version says that this happened in the middle of the 5th millennium BC. To date, the Karnak stones are under protection, but sometimes there are problems with this - even proposals were announced to close this place for tourists. Recently, livestock was allowed to walk on the territory of the historical monument in order to clear the area of weeds.

Karnak stones

"Spanish Stonehenge" came out of the water

It is worth noting that recently in Spain was foundanother megalithic object. Due to drought, the water level in the Valdecañas reservoir has dropped, resulting in the Dolmen de Guadalperal, about 7,000 years old, rising to the surface. The construction is a circle formed from 150 large stones up to 1.8 meters high. It is believed that this design was used for rituals. In fairness, it should be noted that the Dolmen de Guadalperal was opened a long time ago, but it was lost from sight during the construction of the reservoir.

"Spanish Stonehenge"

News in the topic: 113-million-year-old dinosaur footprints found at the bottom of a dried-up river in the US

What is known about Stonehenge

The famous Stonehenge, which is located inthe English county of Wiltshire, is also a megalithic structure. It is a 33-meter circle, consisting of 30 huge stones up to 4.1 meters high and weighing 25 tons. Why ancient people needed Stonehenge, no one knows - maybe it was a gathering place for druids or was somehow used by the ancient Romans. But this group of megaliths is not European.