The ditches show an irregular sinuosity, except for the two innermost ones, where some lobes have a more patterned design. The ditches vary in size, with widths of up to 3 or 4 metres. Several overlaps and intersections reveal various construction phases and create a generally concentric image. Also visible are several sections of ditches that don’t seem to correspond to enclosures. Some entrances align with the winter solstice, both at sunrise and sunset, the summer solstice and the equinoxes. More than half a thousand pits and some structures have been identified inside and outside the enclosures, suggesting that they were funerary hypogea (underground graves). At the surface were ceramic fragments from spherical and globular containers, carinated bowls, some polished stone utensils, quartz chips, a percussor and some fauna bones. Limited by the topography of higher elevations, the location doesn’t provide substantial visibility, mainly overlooking the Degebe River valley to the north. To the west, the prominent Trigo elevation stands out, the middle of which is where the sun sets on the equinoxes for those standing in the centre of the enclosures. A granite stele or menhir appears buried on the slope of this hill facing the enclosure. To the south, about 500 metres from the enclosure, but without direct visibility, a dolmen is visible from the observation point.

The particularity of this enclosure is related to the complexity of the entrances, particularly on the east side, with several aligned passages, narrowings and gaps in the corridors between ditches. Some have the typical ‘crab claws’ (semi-circle layout) known from other Neolithic enclosures (such as Moreiros 2, in Arronches). The complexification and monumentalisation of entrances, visible in numerous ditched enclosures, reflects their stature as a transitional space between different ‘worlds’: an interior world, delimited, protected, controlled and likely sacralised, and an exterior world, vast and less controlled. Entrances have acquired this symbolic dimension throughout history, reflected in their recurring monumentalisation or embellishment or even in their association with sacred iconographic elements (such as the Mezuzah, placed on the right side of the doorway of Jewish houses and kissed whenever someone enters the door).

Surface prospecting and geophysical prospecting by magnetometry.

Valera, A.C., Pereiro, T. do (2023) – Recintos de Fossos Pré-Históricos do Alentejo, National Geographic.