Artificial caves of Casal do Pardo
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Grutas Artificiais de Casal do Prado | |
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 Interactive map of Artificial caves of Casal do Pardo | |
| Alternative name | Grutas da Quinta do Anjo |
|---|---|
| Location | Palmela, Setúbal District, Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°33′51″N 8°56′19″W / 38.56417°N 8.93861°W |
| Type | Necropolis |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic, Chalcolithic, |
| Cultures | Beaker culture |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1876 |
| Excavation dates | 1876-78; 1900-05 (approx.) |
| Archaeologists | António Mendes Correia and Agostinho Jose da Silva (1876-78); António Inácio Marques da Costa (20th century) |
| Condition | Fair |
| Public access | Yes |
The four Artificial caves of Casal do Pardo (Portuguese: Grutas artificiais do Casal do Pardo), also known as the Caves of Quinta do Anjo, were neolithic tombs. They are situated in Palmela municipality in the Setúbal District, of Portugal, about 25 km (16 mi) south of the capital of Lisbon. These caves were classified as a National Monument of Portugal in 1934.[1]
The caves were the first of their type to be discovered in Portugal with the site being identified as a result of limestone extraction on the site. They consist of four independent tombs or hypogea cut in soft, miocene limestone, using stone tools. They were built into a small, elongated hill and oriented in an East-West direction. All of the four caves were dug out around 3000 BCE, and were probably used and re-used until around 2000 BCE. They are considered to be good examples of the artificial necropolis used between the late Neolithic and the end of the Chalcolithic, with the same purpose as the Antas or dolmens that are found widely in Portugal, which followed the same burial traditions. The two best-preserved tombs of this complex contain a larger circular domed burial chamber, 4–5 metres in diameter and with a height of up to 2.30 metres. Cave 1 was 9.75 metres long in total, although part of the corridor has since been covered by a road. The limestone excavation damaged two of the caves, which now appear more as alcoves than caves. The site was first studied between 1876 and 1878 by António Mendes Correia and Agostinho Jose da Silva, under the supervision of Carlos Ribeiro. Excavations were resumed at the beginning of the 20th century under the direction of António Inácio Marques da Costa.[1][2][3][4]
