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The dolmen of Dombate. (Top, left) The mound surrounds the megalithic structure. The stone cover is more prominent close to the entrance. A number of idols were found set on their sockets at the opening of the passage. A closing stone blocks the entrance to the corridor. (Bottom and right) The interior of the megalithic structure presents a very elaborate art programme, including paintings and carvings.
Source publication
Research on the Neolithic monuments and dwellings of Atlantic Europe has shown that plays of light and colour were tools for the social and symbolic construction of the world. The integration of the architectures into the surrounding landscape and the incorporation of the surrounding landscape into the architectures were an essential part of this l...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... has almost completely disappeared from the chamber. In the corridor, the painting of this upper level consists of zigzags made in black. The lower level is better preserved throughout the monument, and the motifs depicted there seem much more complex. Big red bands delimit irregular spaces, which are smaller and more varied in the chamber (Fig. 3, bottom and ...
Context 2
... standing up at the entrance of the dromos, an open-air passage way leading into the megalithic corridor, indicating the special nature of this area within the whole monument. A total of 20 'idols' were identified, 17 of them standing in situ and forming a line in front of a series of flat slabs that were placed in the manner of a threshold (see Fig. 3, top). All of them have a more or less anthropomorphic shape, in some cases emphasized by means of incision or carving (i.e. abstract representation of the head and shoulders). They are not exclusive to Dombate; similar items are known in the Neolithic of northwest Iberia, having mostly been found in other megalithic passage graves ...
Context 3
... to Dombate; similar items are known in the Neolithic of northwest Iberia, having mostly been found in other megalithic passage graves (e.g. Cova da Moura in Noia; Mina da Parxubeira in Mazaricos: see Fábregas Valcárce 1993). Further excavations in the corridor enabled the discovery of a vertical stone c. 1 m in height blocking its access (see Fig. 3, top). This stone, still in situ at the time of the excavation, was the main element evidencing the closure of the corridor after the primary use of the passage grave. The setting of this element was dated 3011-2586 cal. BC (CSIC-892: 4230±70 BP: Alonso Mathías & Bello Diéguez 1995) as a terminus post quem thanks to the presence of a ...
Context 4
... has almost completely disappeared from the chamber. In the corridor, the painting of this upper level consists of zigzags made in black. The lower level is better preserved throughout the monument, and the motifs depicted there seem much more complex. Big red bands delimit irregular spaces, which are smaller and more varied in the chamber (Fig. 3, bottom and ...
Context 5
... standing up at the entrance of the dromos, an open-air passage way leading into the megalithic corridor, indicating the special nature of this area within the whole monument. A total of 20 'idols' were identified, 17 of them standing in situ and forming a line in front of a series of flat slabs that were placed in the manner of a threshold (see Fig. 3, top). All of them have a more or less anthropomorphic shape, in some cases emphasized by means of incision or carving (i.e. abstract representation of the head and shoulders). They are not exclusive to Dombate; similar items are known in the Neolithic of northwest Iberia, having mostly been found in other megalithic passage graves ...
Context 6
... to Dombate; similar items are known in the Neolithic of northwest Iberia, having mostly been found in other megalithic passage graves (e.g. Cova da Moura in Noia; Mina da Parxubeira in Mazaricos: see Fábregas Valcárce 1993). Further excavations in the corridor enabled the discovery of a vertical stone c. 1 m in height blocking its access (see Fig. 3, top). This stone, still in situ at the time of the excavation, was the main element evidencing the closure of the corridor after the primary use of the passage grave. The setting of this element was dated 3011-2586 cal. BC (CSIC-892: 4230±70 BP: Alonso Mathías & Bello Diéguez 1995) as a terminus post quem thanks to the presence of a ...
Citations
... Thus, when the Sun filled the corridor, it was the moment when specific events would be allowed to happen. This idea is supported by González García et al. 2019 at the tomb of Dombate, located in north-western Galicia in Costa da Morte. Dombate is oriented SE towards winter solstice (WS) sunrise at the time of its construction. ...
This paper challenges the notion that each Neolithic dolmen targets either a single astronomical body at a specific time of year or perhaps two, one in each direction of the monument alignment. By applying Silva and Pimenta’s 2012 statistical models of lunar cycles connected to the Sun through time to our Galician orientation data, we produced more astronomically correct and complete information about the most likely targets of these Galician dolmens. Silva and Pimenta’s work included chronological distributions of particular events for the solar year related to latitude, allowing us to consider astronomical bodies correlated with the time of year and place. Ultimately, we now more fully understand the integrated complexity of the previously simplified perception of dolmens concerning their connection to astronomical phenomena. Principally, it now seems that not only do multiple working targets more readily fit the data, but so, too, do several times throughout the year. Further, dolmen axes are oriented in both directions. These findings led us to conclude that the Neolithic people chose to highlight particular seasonal ranges through the orientations of their tombs. So the Sun, whilst remaining relevant to dolmen architectural design, is no longer considered a solitary target. This paper also explains why.
... Thus, when the Sun filled the corridor, it was the moment when specific events would be allowed to happen. This idea is supported by González García et al. 2019 at the tomb of Dombate, located in north-western Galicia in Costa da Morte. Dombate is oriented SE towards winter solstice (WS) sunrise at the time of its construction. ...
... On the one hand, initiatives have been developed to document the architectural elements of megaliths using photogrammetric [21][22][23] and laser scanning techniques, sometimes using BIM technology [24] to unravel aspects of their construction. On other occasions, digital products have been used to simulate the relationship between the monuments and the natural lighting [25]. Finally, perhaps the most exploited field is that of the analysis of engravings and paintings found on the slabs of the megaliths, where there is a certain tradition of analysis developed in recent years in countries such as Spain [26], Portugal [27], France [28] or Ireland [29]. ...
The dolmen of Guadalperal (Spain) became well known in 2019 when the waters of the reservoir in which it had long been submerged became so depleted as to leave it above water and highly visible. This gave rise to great media and social polemic. In this study, we deal with the ‘recovery’ of the dolmen using digital techniques, including a strategy of geometrical documentation of long, medium and short-range through the use of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and photogrammetry. The result is a set of products that trace the changes that have taken place in the monument since its excavation in 1925, the identification of conditions affecting it and the acquisition of new information on the decorated supports that formed part of the megalithic architecture. To do so, the time during which it was accessible (i.e., not underwater) was used to acquire the only heritage information currently available on the monument. This new information offers a complete assessment of a megalithic monument using a protocol that is exportable to other sites submerged in lakes or reservoirs.
... It seems clear that these landscapes were already familiar to, and/or LiDAR data (post-2000). There are also papers that combine cultural and social elements of the megalithic builders in Galicia for interpretive analyses (Criado-Boado & Villoch-Vázquez 1998;Criado Boado et al. 2006;Gianotti et al. 2011, González-García 2018González-García et al 2019). Criado-Boado & Villoch-Vázquez´s 1998 work, based on the Barbanza peninsula, specifically engages with the landscape in which the dolmens are located. ...
This paper investigates the dolmen landscapes of Neolithic communities found within Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), Galicia. Its goal is to uncover whether or not the megalithic monuments of a particular and coherent area of the south-eastern side of the Atlantic Façade are situated in relation to complex locational variables. In particular, in this paper, we explore the entirety of their surrounding topography. For the very first time, we were able to demonstrate that very specific natural landscapes surrounding the dolmens of this region in Iberia were likely selectively drawn upon, expanding our understanding of the Neolithic of this area and the people's relationship with their natural world.
You can request it from me or it can also be found at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/y9xfg
... Orientations are typically interpreted in relation to particular celestial phenomena such as solstices, the equinox, or constellations, which were presumably central in prehistoric religious belief systems, ritual practices, calendars, or cosmologies (eg, MacKie 1997;Sauzade 2000;Hoskin 2008;Saletta 2011). It has also been argued that sunset orientations were aimed at producing particular light effects inside Neolithic burial monuments (Hensey 2008;González-García et al. 2019). Links between tomb orientations and landscape features such as mountains or coasts have also been highlighted, showing how the physical environment was integrated into the design and ritual use of the monuments (eg, Cumming et al. 2002;Scarre 2002;Prendergast 2016;Rogerio-Candelera et al. 2018). ...
The island of Sardinia is well known for its Late Neolithic and Copper Age underground rock-cut tombs that were used over generations for collective burials. Many tombs were decorated to resemble house interiors and cemeteries are often referred to as villages of the dead. Research so far has focused on excavating stratigraphic contexts within some of these monuments, or on typological classifications of tomb plans and wall decorations, but the landscape context of the cemeteries and their relationship to settlements have been overlooked. The article presents the results of two seasons of survey in Ossi (north-west Sardinia), focusing on two major cemeteries (Mesu ‘e Montes and S’Adde ‘e Asile). Combining fieldwalking, mapping and 3D recording techniques, the survey provides a comprehensive documentation of the cemeteries (from the underground architecture of individual tombs to their landscape setting) and yields evidence of prehistoric settlements in their vicinity. The article discusses the topographic and visual relationships between the tombs and the residential areas and how they may reflect social interactions between the living and the dead in late prehistoric Sardinia.
... For instance, the most statistically significant orientation of the megalithic monuments in Galicia (Spain) is towards winter solstice sunrise, with a somewhat wide spread González-García et al. 2017). Perhaps the illumination of the inner parts of the funeral chamber was of importance to the builders and users of such tombs (González-García et al. 2019), rather than precise alignments. ...
There is an intense debate in cultural astronomy on the importance of lunar standstills in prehistory or antiquity, and even on whether this elusive and difficult-to-understand phenomenon actually was then recognised. In the present paper, we seek to address those who advocate no longer using the terms "lunar standstill" or the related "lunistice". We begin by clarifying what the concept actually involves, before highlighting some case studies where proposed orientations to lunar standstills have explanatory value and a strong likelihood, connected to the lunar nature of the deities worshipped at particular sites. Finally, we present some relevant ancient texts that indicate awareness of lunar extremes.
... Finally, we should not forget the data acquisition techniques where we can take into account the 3D reconstruction of built structures. Those can then be incorporated into DTMs and planetarium models to investigate, verify and discover potential astronomical relations of light and shadow effects ( [13,22,23], see Figure 4). ...
If astronomy can be understood as the contemplation of the sky for any given purpose, we must realize that possibly all societies throughout time and in all regions have watched the sky. The why, who, how and when of such investigation is the pursuit of cultural astronomy. When the research is done with the archaeological remains of a given society, the part of cultural astronomy that deals with them is archaeoastronomy. This interdisciplinary field employs non-invasive techniques that mix methodologies of the natural sciences with the epistemology of humanities. Those techniques are reviewed here, providing an excellent example of sustainable research. In particular, we include novel research on the Bohí Valley Romanesque churches. The results provided go beyond the data. This is because they add new value to existing heritage or discovers new heritage due to the possible relationship to the spatial and temporal organization of past societies. For the case of the Bohí churches the results point to a number of peculiarities of these churches in a valley in the Pyrenees. This links these aspects to the ritual, practical and power sphere of past societies. A wonderful example of such links is the high mountain sanctuaries in Gran Canaria, where archaeoastronomy helps promoting a World Heritage candidacy.
This paper investigates the landscapes of Neolithic communities found within Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), Galicia. Its goal is to uncover whether or not the megalithic monuments of a particular and coherent area of the south-eastern side of the Atlantic Façade are situated in relation to complex locational variables. In particular, in this paper, we explore the entirety of their surrounding horizon. For the very first time, we were able to demonstrate that very specific natural landscapes surrounding the dolmens of this region in Iberia were likely selectively drawn upon, expanding our understanding of the Neolithic of this area and the people's relationship with their natural world.
En el presente artículo se realiza un estudio perceptual de diferentes estilos de cerámica prehistórica de Galicia (con cronología entre el 6000 y el 2000 BP) mediante la técnica de seguimiento de movimientos oculares. Este análisis permite comprobar la relación de la mente con la materialidad y sugiere la existencia de una estrecha imbricación entre el diseñar, el ver y el hacer a lo largo de la historia. El trabajo examina cómo las materializaciones de las prácticas humanas se correlacionan con la cognición y con el contexto socio-cultural. Las interrelaciones de la cultura material y el comportamiento perceptual, apuntan a una clara conexión entre la mente, los objetos y el mundo. El trabajo aplica técnicas medibles y numéricas, que permiten hacer una aproximación arqueométrica a temas cognitivos mediante la combinación de las neurociencias con investigación interpretativa y reflexiva. Esta investigación ofrece nuevas perspectivas sobre la cultura material y contribuye a comprender la interrelación entre la mente y el mundo material, así como la existencia de un vínculo transitivo entre formas de pensar, de mirar y de hacer cosas. De este modo, el texto hace algunos aportes para entender las fuerzas materiales que guían la percepción y el pensamiento.
It is well known that Neolithic megalithic landscapes are the result of complex locational logics governing where communities chose to site their funerary monuments. These logics in turn respond to broader environmental and cultural affordances, and the relationship between these has been a major topic in the megalithic archaeological literature for the last few decades. Thanks to new approaches in spatial statistical modelling, there is now considerable opportunity to revisit traditional megalithic locational concepts from a more systematic point of view, not least in Galician studies (NW Iberian Peninsula). In the paper that follows, we apply such a modelling approach to a large set of megalithic monuments located in the south of Galicia (Monte Penide and surroundings) with a view to exploring locational choices, spatial hierarchy and territoriality in these funerary landscapes. The results indicate that the distribution of megalithic mounds in this region reflects a preference for locations with particular environmental properties, while at a more local scale the spacing of these mounds seems to reflect some kind of social partitioning of the landscape. Via spatial cluster analysis and a further novel method for testing site hierarchy, we conclude that the mound sizes within nine different mound clusters exhibits a non-random hierarchical structure, with a larger mound per group and smaller ones around that, and with what appears to be a preference for the large monument to be at or near the meeting point of several watersheds and upland ridge-routes.
