Two thousand years before Stonehenge, groups of Neolithic peoples settled the area around Évora and built large stone megaliths that tracked positions of the sun and other celestial objects. Two important sites near Évora stand in the middle of an immense cork plantation.
The Cromelich array is a collection of 95 standing stones of heights varying from 3 to 6 feet. It is the oldest megalithic monument on the Iberian peninsula and one of the oldest in Europe. The purpose of the stones is not clearly understood. A few are adorned with carved images that are barely visible after so many millennia.
Over a kilometer away stands a lone pillar 2.5 meters tall, the menhir of Almendras. At sunrise on the summer solstice, the sun appears at the tip of the menhir directly over the Cromelich.
Some images from the visit.
