Megalithic remains "Guadaparral" exposed due to drought
In the summer of 2022, Spain suffered a record-breaking heat and drought, and the water level of the Valdecanías reservoir in the state of Extremadura dropped severely, revealing the remains of sunken megalithic stones from prehistoric times. This is the "Guadalparral", known as "Stonehenge in Spain".
The megalithic remains were discovered in 1926 by German archaeologist Hugo Obaymer and were built in 3000 BC ~ 2000 BC. However, in 1963, due to a rural development plan under the Franco dictatorship, a dam was built on the Tepo River (known as the Terro River in Spanish/Portuguese) that flows through the area, and the site was submerged in the reservoir without being re-investigated.
It wasn't until the drought in July 2019 that the ruins reappeared as a whole after 56 years. Through urgent investigation, the full picture of the ruins was sorted out in combination with previous records.
In the middle of the photo, the space that looks like it is surrounded by boulders is the burial room. The boulders standing in front are part of the corridor leading to the burial chamber.
According to the survey, the 144 granite boulders are distributed in a circular shape of about 26 meters in diameter, and in the center is an oval room with a diameter of 5 meters, arranged by 2 meters high Menhill standing stones.
This room, which is believed to be a burial chamber, was once made of ceiling stone, and was fronted by a corridor 21 meters long and 1.4 meters wide. It is speculated that these megalithic structures were originally covered with filled earth to form mounds (mounds).
At the entrance to the burial chamber, on the porch that was cut into a standing human shape, a slender and undulating wonderful line was also carved. Due to the erosion of the current, this line is now difficult to identify with the naked eye. There are currently 2 explanations for this line. One is the serpent saying, because in primitive beliefs around the world, the serpent is considered a symbol of Mother Earth. Another theory is that it is a map showing the direction of the Tepo River. In fact, if you compare the map before the dam was built, you will see that the curve of the line is almost identical to the direction of the Tepo River.
The Tepo River originates in the Cuenca Mountains in east-central Spain and flows west through the central Iberian Peninsula and empties into the Atlantic Ocean through Podogell. The Tepo River divides the western part of the Iberian Peninsula into north and south, and when the amount of water is low, you can hike through several locations. Guadalparal was built in one of the important places.
The mysterious standing stone may have been used as a map in the past.
The surface of the stele is carved with lines, which correspond almost to the direction of the Tepo River before the construction of the reservoir.
In fact, Obaimer also excavated settlements from the reign of the ancient Roman Empire near the remains of this megalithic stone. Therefore, he speculated that Roman soldiers destroyed the mound. This is why it is said that the map of the Tepo River is written on the stone tablet. If this is true, then this is likely to be the oldest utility map in the world.
Not only that. Before the dam was built, Guadalparal was located on a hill. Moreover, on the day of the spring equinox, as the sun rises, sunlight shines through the entrance of the standing stone pillars, illuminating the entire burial room. Thus, although the megalithic remains here eventually turned into mounds, there is an opinion that before that it was a stone circle associated with sun worship, with origins dating back to 5000 BC.
Below the middle of the photo, at one end of the huge cistern, the circular keyhole-like part is Guadalparral.
Traces of mounds can also be seen around the ruins
In this way, this is an extremely precious megalithic remains 2000 years earlier than the Stonehenge built in 3000 BC ~ 1500 BC. However, the area has sunk into the reservoir and may no longer be able to be excavated in this area. Since the reappearance of megalithic remains in July 2019, a petition for relocation has begun. But authorities said the rock's interior was fragile and could be damaged if moved, so they rejected the request.
In this case, the digitization of detailed data on Guadalparal has begun using the latest instruments such as laser scanning to conduct research and research. We look forward to future results.