Anta de Carcavelos

The Anta de Carcavelos, located close to the village of Carcavelos near the town of Lousa in the municipality of Loures in the Lisbon District of Portugal, is a stone age dolmen or megalithic monument from the Chalcolithic period [1]. The Anta was a communal grave consisting of a sepulchral chamber with a polygonal shape [1]. The remains of the tomb consist of six cretaceous limestone slabs that originated in the area, which has several sizeable limestone outcrops [1]. Hastened as a result of looting at the site, the first excavations were carried out in 1986 and continued again from 1991-1994 [1]. From the studies carried out in 1994, many bones were collected, with over 80 adult males and females believed to have been buried there [1]. Various objects were also found such as flint arrowheads, smooth and decorated bell-shaped ceramics, dishes, cylindrical idols, and objects of adornment [1]. The evaluation of items found suggested a probable initial use of the dolmen as being in the last centuries of the 4th millennium BCE, with an intensification in its use between 3000 and 2600 BCE [1].