An Extreme Drought Has Revealed the ‘Spanish Stonehenge’, a Circle of Megalithic Stones Once Submerged Beneath a Reservoir

If there’s even the slightest silver lining to the ravages of
climate change, it’s that the warming conditions are revealing some
previously unknown archaeological sites and artifacts.

This past summer, an extreme drought in the Extremadura area of
Spain that caused the Valdecañas Reservoir’s water levels to
plummet has revealed a series of megalithic stones. Previously
submerged underwater, the Dolmen de Guadalperal, often called the
Spanish Stonehenge, are now in plain sight.

Though the Dolmen are 7,000 years old, the last time they were
seen in their entirety was around 1963, when the reservoir was
built as part of Franco’s push toward modernization. Now, residents
near the province of Cáceres are thrilled to witness the surreal
return of the ancient site.

Angel Castaño, who lives near the reservoir and serves as the
president of a Spanish cultural group, told the website The Local, “We grew up hearing about
the legend of the treasure hidden beneath the lake and now we
finally get to view them.”

The approximately 100 menhirs are, like Stonehenge, hulking
megalith stones—some standing up to six feet tall—that are arranged
in an oval and appear oriented to filter sunlight. Evidence
suggests that these stones could actually be 2,000 years older than
Stonehenge.

Castaño is working with the group Raices de Peraleda to
move the dolmen before rains come and re-submerge them. “Whatever
we do here needs to be done extremely carefully,” he said, since the granite is porous and
subject to further erosion. “It may cost money, but we already have
one of the most difficult things to obtain, this incredible
historic monument… money is the easy part. The past can’t be
bought.”

The post An Extreme Drought Has Revealed the ‘Spanish
Stonehenge’, a Circle of Megalithic Stones Once Submerged Beneath a
Reservoir appeared first on artnet News.