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Archaeologists return to prehistoric sanctuaries on island of Menorca, Spain
Popular Archaeology ^ | Tue, Jun 02, 2015 | editors

Posted on 06/05/2015 1:33:00 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

After nearly 30 years, a team of archaeologists will be returning once again to the site of So na Cacana on the island of Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain, to renew investigations of a prehistoric sanctuary complex that archaeologists believe represented the remains of the Talaiotic Culture , a prehistoric culture that flourished, particularly on the islands of Majorca and Menorca, during the 1st Millenium BCE...

The ancient settlement remains are located about six km away from the municipality of Alaior. The site features a tower-like monument resembling a large rectangular talaiot (Bronze Age megalithic structure) at the highest point of the area and possibly dated to before the 10th century B.C., which may contain an inner chamber with chapels; a second, smaller tower or talaiot; two sanctuaries with taula; two talaiotic houses; two hypogea; and several structures not yet excavated. The investigators theorize that the site had a religious purpose.

Beginning June 15, 2015 and running for six months, the site investigators plan to field a team that will explore a number of structures and features in the site area, including a funerary hypogeum dated from the 15th - 8th centuries BCE, an Iron Age sanctuary or taula (6th - 3rd centuries BCE), an Iron Age (6th – 3rd centuries BCE) house structure, a Roman period (2nd – 4th centuries CE) agricultural-related structure, and a 9th – 10th century CE Islamic necropolis.

The team leadership is currently calling on students and volunteers who may be interested in participating in the surveys and excavations, which will entail in-depth training and education.

(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: alaior; archaeoastronomy; balearicislands; godsgravesglyphs; hypogeum; malta; megaliths; menorca; sonacacana; spain; talaioticculture; talayoticculture
megalithic structure at So na Cacana. Courtesy Tanyt

Views of the megalithic structures at So na Cacana. Courtesy Tanyt

1 posted on 06/05/2015 1:33:01 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

Lots of Menorcan stock here in St. Augustine.


2 posted on 06/05/2015 2:05:44 AM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not A Matter of Opinion)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

Menorca has a fascinating history. The island was held by the British during the Napoleonic Wars, with the port of Mahon serving as a Royal Navy base. There’s a gin distillery on Menorca to this day.


3 posted on 06/05/2015 6:01:15 AM PDT by Charles Martel (Endeavor to persevere...)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
Prehistoric structures which resemble Malta's.

4 posted on 06/05/2015 12:17:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
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To: Charles Martel

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pudig/Minorcans.html


5 posted on 06/05/2015 12:46:11 PM PDT by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not A Matter of Opinion)
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To: SWAMPSNIPER

There was a lot of territory changing hands back then, with related shifts in colony-building. This story reads like a History Channel miniseries.


6 posted on 06/05/2015 1:12:53 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Endeavor to persevere...)
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To: Charles Martel; SunkenCiv
In the first book, they are based in Port Mahon.


7 posted on 06/05/2015 2:17:08 PM PDT by colorado tanker
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To: SunkenCiv

http://www.johnkuipers.ca/photos/megaliths-balearics.shtml

Images Slideshow -Megaliths Balearic Islands


8 posted on 06/05/2015 2:44:15 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (Fair Dinkum!)
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