Incredible discovery of over 500 prehistoric standing stones in Spain

An incredible discovery of a megalithic complex made up of more than 500 menhirs (standing stone structures) that are thousands of years old, has been made. According to El Pais, the 600-hectare site is located between Ayamonte and Villablanca, in the province of Huelva, near the river Guadiana. It was intended for avocado production, but its archaeological potential led to a survey that revealed its importance.

An incredible discovery

As per The Guardian, José Antonio Linares — a researcher at the University of Huelva and one of the project directors — said:

This is the largest concentration and diversity of menhirs on a single site in the Iberian Peninsula.

The site is thought to have been built in the 6th millennium BC, but it was not until 2022 that researchers discovered its existence. According to archaeologists, the first stones in this area were erected in the second half of the 6th or 5th century BC.

There were a total of 526 menhirs found 'on site' and their size varied from one to three metres in length, with different shapes. Primitiva Bueno, professor of prehistory at the Spanish University of Alcala and co-director of the project, explained:

This area concentrates megalithic elements of great diversity. The fact that there are alignments and cromlechs on the same site is not so common. Here, there is everything: alignments, cromlechs and dolmens and this attract attention.

The professor explained that this discovery has a specific name called cromlech. It is a series of stones or menhirs that surround a small oval or circular space. In 2026, scientists planned to dig up these monuments, but thanks to this discovery, some of the menhirs can be visited by the public.

Menhirs around the world

In France, the Carnac site in southern Morbihan is also one of the most important menhir sites in the world. This area has more than 3,000 menhirs dating back 6,000 years! The menhirs of Carnac have been protected as historical monuments since 1889.

These alignments constitute the most representative group of menhirs: 1,165 metres long and 100 metres wide for 1,099 menhirs spread over 11 rows. The tallest stones in these alignments reach 4 metres. This site is open to the public.

This article is translated from Gentside FR.

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