The Funerary Megalithic of Herdade das Murteiras (Évora, Portugal): the (re) use of the spaces

Abstract

The area of Évora, inserted in the Alentejo region, stands out for the quantity and monumentality of its megalithic (funerary and non-funerary). Despite its good preservation condition, in terms of natural landscape and architecture, which could be properly valued in the context of cultural enhancement projects and tourism promotion, we can see that, with few exceptions, these monuments are still doomed to be abandoned.

In this context, the Foundation Eugenio d'Almeida appears as an example of a private institution that has been investing in the rehabilitation and promotion of existing heritage in its estates, as is the case of the Herdade das Murteiras, where archaeological research work took place in 2007.

I hereby present the result of the work done, at this estate, in some of funerary megalithic monuments: two proto-megalithic graves and a passage grave. The work done in these important monuments brought new and important data to the study of funerary megalithic of the region and also on the spatial relationship between the Neolithic settlements and the small megalithic graves.