Dolmen de Menga

Regarded as one of Europe's largest megalithic structures, the Dolmen de Menga is a burial mound that dates back to circa 2,500 BCE. The dolmen is composed of 32 massive slabs of stone, or megaliths, the heaviest of which weighs a staggering 180 tons. Once complete, the chamber and passage were covered with layers of soil creating a mound. With a length of 25 meters (82 feet) and width of 5 meters (16 feet), the sheer scale of this massive, prehistoric tomb defies explanation. The methods used to transport the mighty megaliths is a mystery that remains unsolved, the possible implications simply astounding. In midsummer, the rising sun shines directly into the chamber, a fact that adds to the enigmatic precision and engineering prowess of this early civilization. A forecourt leads to a rectangular vault that serves as the pathway to an oval chamber where in the 19th Century excavations led to the discovery of the interred mortal remains of hundreds of individuals. This megalithic tomb is found close to the city of Antequera in Andalusia, near the Dolmen de Viera.