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This image shows the remains of stones erected as of July 28, 2019, having been submerged since the 1960s. Image via NASA's Earth Observatory.
After 50 years underwater, the Guadalperal Dolmen in Spain, a circle of 150 stones erected since 7000 years, is back on the mainland, thanks to the record heat and drought that hit Europe this summer .
Megalithic monuments – known as Spanish Stonehenge, located several kilometers from the town of Peraleda de la Mata – have been under water since the construction in 1963 of the dam Valdecañas that flooded this region of western Spain. In the summer of 2019, several regions of Europe experienced periods of drought, including Spain, which experienced its third coldest month of June of the century, as well as higher temperatures than the previous year. average in July and August. The drought was sufficient to expose the Guadalperal Dolmen, so that some inhabitants of the nearby town of Peraleda de la Mata could see it for the first time. Angel Castaño is president of Raíces de Peralêda, a local cultural association dedicated to the preservation of the monument. He told AtlasObscura.com:
All my life, people have been talking about the dolmen. I had already seen some parts springing from the water, but that's the first time I've seen it in full. It's spectacular because you can enjoy the whole complex for the first time in decades.
When we saw it, we were completely delighted. It was as if we had discovered a megalithic monument ourselves.
NASA's ground-based observatory also reported the reappearance of the Guadalperal Dolmen, showing two different satellite imagery, captured in July 2013 and July 2019, using NASA's Landsat 8 satellite. Note the variation in water levels and the widening of the tanning ring around the shore of the tank on the second image. These lighter colored sediments are the recently exposed lake bottom. A circle marks the Dolmen of Guadalperal.
July 24, 2013. Image via Lauren Dauphin / NASA / USGS.
July 25, 2019. Image via Lauren Dauphin / NASA / USGS.
The Guadalperal Dolmen was discovered in 1926 as part of a search and excavation campaign conducted by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier. Scientists believe that it could have been a solar temple and a funeral enclave. Roman remains have been discovered, including a coin, ceramic fragments and a millstone. Axes, ceramics, flint knives and a copper awl were found in a nearby landfill. According to the Spanish media Repelando, a settlement was also found nearby, dating back to the time of the construction of the monument. There were houses, coal and ash stains, lots of pottery, mills and stones to sharpen axes, among other things.
Since the 1960s, the peaks of the highest megaliths have peaked due to fluctuating water levels. The monument consists of 150 granite stones or orthostats, arranged vertically and which form a circular chamber of about five meters in diameter, preceded by an access corridor of about 21 meters long. .
At the end of the hall, just at the entrance to the room, is a standing stone or stone, about 2 feet tall, which contains the image of a snake. Research suggests that this image represents the Tagus, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula, which runs through the region.
The Guadalperal Dolmen are located in the city of Peraleda de la Mata in Spain.
According to NASA's Earth Observatory:
Archaeologists believe that the Guadalperal Dolmen was originally built as an enclosed space – a large stone house with a cap. The dolmen could have served as a tomb, a place of religious rituals or a shopping center, as it was relatively easy to cross the river at this place.
The latest exploration and excavation recorded on the site was carried out by the German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in the 1920s. However, at the time of publication of Obermaier's findings in the 1960s, the Valdecañas Reservoir was full of 'water.
The Guadalperal Dolmen was excavated and studied in the 1920s, drowned in the 1960s and again dry in 2019. Image via 1080 Wildlife Productions / AtlasObscura.
In summary: The Guadalperal Dolmen – aka the Spaniard Stonehenge, submerged for 50 years – is back on dry land, thanks to the hot and dry summer of 2019.
Via the NASA Earth Observatory
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