Archaeologists have revealed the discovery of an extraordinary prehistoric burial site with a tomb dating back five millennia.
The ancient structure, known as Dolmen I of the La Lentejuela necropolis, stretches approximately 43 feet in length and was found near the town of Teba, in the Andalusian province of Málaga in southern Spain.
The site features an intricate interior design with several burial chambers containing human remains.
Researchers from the University of Cádiz have described the monument as among the most impressive and well-preserved burial structures in the entire Andalusian region.
Professor Serafín Becerra, director of the Teba Museum and co-leader of the project said: "This could be one of the most monumental and complete dolmens in all of Andalusia."
The monument's construction reveals sophisticated prehistoric engineering, with walls formed from vertical stone slabs measuring 6.6 feet in height, known as orthostats.
These massive upright stones support horizontal slabs that create the tomb's roof, whilst the entire structure was buried beneath a tumulus, a human-made mound composed of sand and smaller stones.
Eduardo Vijande Vila, an associate professor of prehistory at the University of Cádiz and co-director of the excavations, told Live Science the researchers had to work carefully on the site to preserve the finer details.
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The burial site was left remarkably in tact
|UNIVERISTY OF CADIZ
"The entire dolmen was also covered by horizontal large stone slabs, and on top of this covering, there was a tumulus of sand and small stones."
The excavation required four seasons of careful archaeological work to fully expose the monument.
The tomb yielded an impressive collection of artefacts that suggest the deceased held significant social status within their community.
Excavators discovered objects crafted from precious materials including ivory, amber and marine shells, alongside expertly made flint tools.
Researchers partook in four seasons of careful archaeological work to fully expose the monument
|UNIVERSITY OF CADIZ
The weapons uncovered comprise numerous arrowheads, substantial blades and a particularly noteworthy halberd, a dual-purpose pole weapon combining an axe blade with a hook.
These burial goods point to a society with established hierarchies and access to valuable resources from distant regions.
The monument functioned as a collective burial site, with multiple ossuaries containing human remains discovered throughout the structure's chambers.
The discovery of marine shells in this inland location has provided crucial evidence of extensive prehistoric trading networks.
One of the tools found at the site
|UNIVERISTY OF CADIZ
"The presence of seashells in an inland area reflects the importance of the sea as an element of prestige and the existence of long-distance exchange networks," Juan Jesús Cantillo, a prehistory professor at the University of Cádiz, said in a statement.
These dolmens served multiple purposes beyond burial, potentially functioning as territorial markers that signified land ownership, a crucial consideration for agricultural communities of the era.
The ongoing research into this remarkable find promises to illuminate ancient funerary practices and social structures that existed in southern Spain five millennia ago.