A PREHISTORIC burial site nobody remembered existed has suddenly emerged in the province of Cáceres after the drought caused a river to run dry.
Based in the Valdecañas reservoir in the village of Peraleda de la Mata in the far-western region of Extremadura, the Stonehenge-like structure was first discovered in 1925 by German priest and archaeologist Hugo Obermaier.
Now, 94 years on, they have resurfaced – but could well get covered up again with the first of the autumn rainfall.
The Valdecañas reservoir was built in 1963 and the stones became completely submerged, meaning the only adults who would remember them would be in their mid-70s now, so the majority of the population would never have seen them and, most likely, have been unaware of their existence until this summer.
Dating back to between 2,000 and 3,000 BC, the structure was originally described as a 'dolmen' – a serious of upright megaliths, or tombs, with horizontal stones placed across the tops like a table, typically found in the UK and northern France, most of which were constructed in the Neolithic era between 4,000 and 3,000 years ago.
'Dolmen' is an ancient Breton word which means 'large stone table'.
And although the one in the province of Cáceres has survived 56 years underwater, chairman of the 'Peraleda's Roots' (Raíces de Peraleda) association Ángel Castaño is concerned that once the reservoir fills up again, the dolmen will not only disappear for a second time but will be vulnerable to ongoing erosion.
“Now that it's completely uncovered and totally dry, it needs to be removed in order to preserve it,” Castaño says.
“In a very short time, the water will rise again and it will deteriorate even more.”
Photographs by the Raíces de Peraleda (Peraleda's Roots) association
A SPECIES of insect estimated to be 105 million years old has been found fossilised in a chunk of amber dug up from an archaeological dig in the province of Teruel. It was found by historians from Oxford...
HISTORIANS are trying to decide what to do with a Phoenician boat found off the coast of Mazarrón (Murcia) and have opted to leave it on the sea bed for the moment. Dating back to the seventh century BC, the craft –...
VALENCIA has been chosen as World Design Capital 2022, taking over from Lille, France and joining former capitals Helsinki, México DF, Taipei and Seoul. It has beaten the Indian metropolis of Bangalore which, by the...
A SEVILLA man having his house extended has unearthed an almost completely intact Roman funerary chamber in his garden. José Avilés – known to friends and family as 'Pepe' – who lives in the town of...
A SPECIES of insect estimated to be 105 million years old has been found fossilised in a chunk of amber dug up from an archaeological dig in the province of Teruel. It was found by historians from Oxford...
HISTORIANS are trying to decide what to do with a Phoenician boat found off the coast of Mazarrón (Murcia) and have opted to leave it on the sea bed for the moment. Dating back to the seventh century BC, the craft –...
VALENCIA has been chosen as World Design Capital 2022, taking over from Lille, France and joining former capitals Helsinki, México DF, Taipei and Seoul. It has beaten the Indian metropolis of Bangalore which, by the...
A SEVILLA man having his house extended has unearthed an almost completely intact Roman funerary chamber in his garden. José Avilés – known to friends and family as 'Pepe' – who lives in the town of...
CROCODILES lived side by side with dinosaurs 95 million years ago, according to archaeologists in the province of Guadalajara who are working on an established prehistoric dig. One of the researchers at the settlement...
A PREHISTORIC burial site nobody remembered existed has suddenly emerged in the province of Cáceres after the drought caused a river to run dry. Based in the Valdecañas reservoir in the village of Peraleda de la Mata...
IF YOU WERE asked to guess where the biggest Origami museum in the world was based, you'd probably say Japan. But of course, now you've read the question on here, you know it must be in Spain. In fact, it's...
LEGENDARY tenor Plácido Domingo is one of 12 famous faces to win an 'Excellence in Spain' Award – at the same time as being named ambassador for the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Captain of Real Madrid...
A JUDGE will decide on whether or not a vast country estate in the province of A Coruña (Galicia) rightfully belongs to the public, or to the descendants of dictator General Franco. Spain's government maintains...
A ROMAN sarcophagus completely intact and sealed up has been described as 'an exceptional find' and 'unprecedented'. It is being opened by experts at Granada's Archaeological Museum this weekend, and...
CO-FOUNDER of one of the world's largest names in porcelain figurine collectibles, José Lladró, passed away on Monday aged 91, meaning his two daughters now own his 15% share of the company. It was set up by the...
COINS found in the Utah desert may be evidence of Spanish settlers on the American continent at least 200 years before Christopher Columbus arrived – or they may merely be a hoax. A hiker from Colorado found what he...
