Talatí de Dalt. 2022.

Continuing with my intention of revisiting all the T shaped monuments called 'Taula' on the island, this afternoon I went to Talatí de Dalt.

At the entrance to the ruins of Talatí de Dalt there is a talayot. The structure of the settlement is divided into the public area, with a sanctuary and central taula, and the private area, with houses and hypostyle chambers (storage rooms). This taula is unusual in that it is balanced against a column which must have fallen against it accidentally, but which is still in equilibrium today.

Taula Sanctuary

The finds located during the excavations shed light on the trype of diet people had by then. The study of the bones that were found gives us informations about what the inhabitants of this settlement had.

Storage chambers

Goats. For meat and milk.

Sheep. Their wool was posibly used to produce textiles.

Pigs. Their fat was very important since olive oil was not produced in Menorca yet in this period.

Oxen. Possibly used as draught animals for transportation and plowing.

Cows. For meat and milk to make cheese. 

Na Beltrana

 

Another of the prehistoric religious sites called Taulas. This one in Ferreries. In a farm called Na Beltrana

Son Rotger.

Experts believe that there are 33 of these monuments from the Neolithic Era. It might be there were more but they were either destroyed or just they have not survived to this day.

In any case, I was determined to find this winter some of those that are not easily accessible and this is one of them.

Just before entering the town of Cala en Porter, by road with a gate entitled 'Sant Vicent' which leads to the farm of San Rotger can be seen. In the bush on the right side  lies a talayot (block piled tower). And on the eastern rocky foot of the talayot, a headless taula with scratches stands. Curiously, this taula does not stand on the rocky foot level but in a pit like a bathtub with other pillar stones.

Torrellafuda

The Torrellafuda settlement dates from the Talayotic era and was inhabited until Islamic times, as indicated by the archaeological remains found. 

The settlement, set in a holm oak wood, consists of a single large talayot, a taula enclosure, several houses and a necropolis of four hypogeums or artificial caves. There are other structures including a cistern from the Roman or Mediaeval era and sections of a cyclopean-type wall.

In one of the hypogeums a batch of lead sling balls from the Roman era was found.

3nd Internationsl Conference on Best Practices in World Heritage

3nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BEST PRACTICES IN WORLD HERITAGE: INTEGRAL ACTIONS.

2nd-5 th May 2015. Menorca, Balearic Islands, (Spain)

TOPICS of the 3nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BEST PRACTICES IN WORLD HERITAGE: INTEGRAL ACTIONS have been voted by our community to be debated during the conference!

The selected topics are:

1. BEYOND THE OFFICIAL VOICE: PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES.
2. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: VALUE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.
3. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: COMMUNICATING OR INFORMING?
4. YOU EXPLAIN ME, I TELL YOU, WE SHARE IT: CO-LEARNING.
5. THE FUTURE OF THE PAST: NEW OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUES?



Here the most important dates to keep in mind:

- Call for papers. As soon as possible
- 30th September 2017: Abstract deadline
- 30th October 2017: acceptance of papers
- 15th February 2018: Full Paper deadline

The procedure for submitting abstract proposal to the 3nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BEST PRACTICES IN WORLD HERITAGE: INTEGRAL ACTIONS are:
The Abstract should include:
1. Title
2. Five keywords
3. Extension: Min. 500 words, máx. 1000 words. You can already send us your proposal to participate, the abstract template is here to be downloaded.
4. Maximum two images or figures (optional)
5. Maximum three references to information sources (from a research article to a news item, etc.) (Optional)

We look forward to welcoming you from the 2nd till the 5th of may 2018 in Menorca

Son Rotger, Lloc Nou d'es Fasser

After many days of troubled weather, the sun finally shone again yesterday in Menorca.

 Agricultural farm of Son Rotger, near Torralbenc, Biniedris and Lloc Nou d'es Fasser. A very rich area in terms of relevant archaeological sites. 

Talayot at Lloc Nou d'es Fasser. In just two kilometers around there are at least 4 Taulas, the unkown meaning T shaped stone monuments, and many talayots and other remains. 

By So na Caçana

Es Fus de Sa Geganta

This Menhir, or standing stone, is very close to the prehistoric settelment of 'Torralba d'en Salort'. I have no doubt that it is in one way or another linked to it, althought  menhirs are not frequent among the works of the Talayotic culture of the primitive inhabitants of Menorca.

Its popular name 'Es Fus de Sa Geganta' means the Spindle of the Giantess and refers to one of the many legends that are told about it.

Another one of those legends speaks of a man of colossal dimensions that lived in the times in which the natives constructed the megalithic Taulas and Talayots that so much abound in Menorca. The inhabitants of the village worshiped him for his strength and ability to work and that admiration made him vain and arrogant.

The Gods, offended by this vanity, buried him beneath the earth and only left him a finger outside, pointing to the sky, pointing to the Gods who do not forgive that humans, however powerful they may be, forget that they are just that: humans.

Torre Llisa Vell

Although Menorca is just a speck in the vast sea, it has attracted the attention of many archaeologists due to 33 mysterious stone megaliths scattered throughout the island. 

The Talayotic people who created these megaliths never documented the exact purpose of the mysterious stone monuments they left behind. Now, thousands of years later, researchers and archaeologists are trying to identify why they were built.

Torre Llissa is one of the 33 T shaped prehistoric monuments which are unique to the Island of Menorca and located nowhere else in the world. Set in a wilderness on the road to Alaior with a few other sites close by, you'll find the Taula through an archway at the end of a magical country road, where you can smell the ancient lands and some other nature treasures like wild flowers.

 White Wall-Rocket. Diplotaxis Erucoides.

The white wall-rocket is one of the most abundant herbs to be found during autumn and winter in arable land, even though it can be in flower at any time of the year. It germinates rapidly after the first rains, and in few weeks it flowers and covers the fields in white, often coexisting with field marigold (Calendula arvensis) with its orange flowers. Like all Cruciferae it has four petals in the shape of a cross and the leaves are very cut back.

Sa Cudia Cremada. The thirty-third Taula.

The Taulas are those T-shaped stone monument that are found scattered around the island.

Archaeologists and researchers who have worked on this subject had cited so far 32 of these monuments, although only 13 remain erect. Now one more have been found at Sa Cudia Cremada.

A methodical excavation will be required to dictate its size, but its authenticity seems it is beyond any doubt

The Talayotic people who created these megaliths never documented the exact purpose of the mysterious stone monuments they left behind. Now, thousands of years later, researchers and archaeologists are trying to identify why they were built.

The Menorcan taulas all share the same basic features. They are set in a horseshoe enclosure with a wall of surrounding stones. Its entrance lays opposite the front face of the stone monument. Another common feature of the taulas is that they generally face a southernly direction with an unobstructed view of the horizon. Additionally, these taulas are unique to the Island of Menorca and located nowhere else in the Balearic Islands.

 A talayot. Part of the same prehistorical village.

The team of archaeologist who had been running this project have made in 2015 a fieldwork and have also launched a crowdfunding campaign. You can get involved in this project and support it in the following link:

Sa Cudia Cremada Crowdfunding

Torelló

The Torelló settlement was one of the largest in the municipal area of Maó. It is especially well known for the spectacular talaiot (called the Talayot of Torellonet Vell) which is interesting because at the top of the tower you can still see the original doorway and the lintel above it, both of which date from the Talayotic period (1000-700 B.C.).

Cala de Sa Torreta to Cala Presili

 Sa Torreta de Tramontana.

This is one of the few Talayotic settlements identified on the north coast of Menorca. It stands in a beautiful natural landscape. The talayot is the stepped type and you can still see the taula enclosure and the remains of various dwellings. Compared to others of its kind, the taula enclosure is quite small. The taula is still intact, with some pilasters standing and part of the facade in good condition. It was excavated around 1930 by Margaret Murray, a British archaeologist who pioneered scientific research on Menorca’s Prehistoric era and documented the various objects linked to the rituals held in these enclosures during the post-Talayotic period (650-123 B.C.), including evidence of fire, the remains of the bones of lambs and kid goats, plus amphorae for wine.

The oval-shaped talayot was built just behind the enclosure, on top of the highest point in the settlement, giving it exceptional views over the surrounding countryside. The remains of at least four domestic areas were found next to both structures.
Near the settlement, going towards the beach, you can see the remains of a much older burial site, known as a triple faced tomb, dating from between 1600 and 1300 B.C.

 Favaritx from Cala Tortuga.

Wild Orchids !

 Himantoglossum robertianum

This is the largest orchid species in our fields (it can reach up to 0.5 m in height), hence it is very easy to recognise just because of its size. The leaves are broad and oval; it develops a robust stem which has a very dense spike of flowers. The flowers are also quite largeg with a large, lobulate labellum, and are yellowish or lilac. It lives along the side of the pine woods and garrigues (Mediterranean woodland), usually along path-sides. It flowers in February and in March. Not really common in Menorca, and very located in a few areas only.

 Neotinea Lactea (Milky Orchid)

It is a small plant, growing up to 25cm in height, but it has a very dense infloresence which is egg-shaped when the flowers are fully open. The Milky Orchid grows in open grassy places and meadows, where it blooms from the end of February to tbe beginning of April.

Taula at Binimasso and San Nicolas Farmhouse

 

 A headless taula (T-shaped stone setting) and other standing stones stand on a bush which seems like an island in a field, and a talayot (bloc piled tower) stand across a road.

San Nicolas, near Ciutadella.

Trepucó

Latitude 39.873607. Longitude 4.265410. About 1 mile to the south of Mahon (Mao) at the far south-eastern side of the Island of Minorca (Menorca) stands the ancient settlement of Talayot de Trepuco - with the megalithic table-shaped Taula monument in the middle of the circular enclosure walls. This prehistoric village-settlement of Trepuco is located less than 1 mile to the south of Mahon town and just a little east of the ME-8 Carretera de Mao to Es Castell, and the through  the Camí Verd.

In the centre of the circular ancient settlement or village (Talayot) a complex of excavated houses surrounded by a defensive wall and watchtower, stands the tallest megalithic monument (Taula) on Minorca. The whole site is thought to date back to the Bronze-Age 2,000-1,200 BC although there is some uncertainty about this. The tall granite megalithic slab-stone stands at 4 metres or 13 feet high with a second huge retangular-shaped slab on top that is 3.75 metres or 12 foot 4 inches long by 1.84 metres or 6 feet wide. The monument is typically shaped like a letter “T” and what looks to many like a table – perhaps in the form of a table-tomb. More than likely it was set up as a shrine or altar to the dead or perhaps rituals to the gods took place here. The burials would have originally lain beneath or around the taula.

The talayot settlement-cum-village is enclosed by low defensive, drystone walls, but originally they would have been much higher. A watchtower would have stood along the walls – this is now not easy to make out. The site consists of a number of prehistoric houses forming the settlement that have been excavated, as well as some grassy mounds, that as yet, have not been looked at. There are five houses here that are made of rough, un-mortered dry stone-walling and at intervals tall slabs which acted as roof supports indicate their original height. Each house is different in shape, layout and style. Today the rough walls of these ancient buildings only stand to a quarter of their original height. Also, two excavated rooms adjoin the houses and a smaller talayot house is built onto the defensive wall. It seems obvious that there has been much robbing-away of stonework over the centuries here. The grassy mounds have not yet been excavated archaeologically, and it is unclear what they are, but it  is likely they are houses, rather than for the burial of the dead. This will only be known when a proper excavation is done.

Sa Torre d'en Gaumes

Torre d'en Galmés is a prehistoric site located between Alaior and Son Bou.

The town developed from the start of the Talayotic era (1400 BC)  and expanded until the end of the Roman occupation, after which it was abandoned. Buildings were reoccupied and adapted by Muslim refugees from the Reconquista Period  (reconquest of Spain by Christian kingdoms) until the end of the Muslim occupation of the island.

The town is situated on a small hill which is steeper on its south side. It has clear views over a large stretch of southern coast (and even to the mountains of the next island, Mallorca). As the town grew it expanded southwards, and used a remarkably sophisticated water collection system to collect water coming down the hill in cisterns.

The town was one of the biggest in the Balearic Islands, and its high position overlooked other neighbouring towns.

There are three talayots, and  also a horseshoe shaped enclosure with a characteristic Minorca Taula, Talayotic houses, other buildings used as storage places and a big wall made of large stone around the town.

Taula de Binissafullet.

A taula (meaning 'table' in catalan language) is a T-shaped stone monument which are exclusive to Menorca. 

Taulas can be up to 3.7 metres high and consist of a vertical pillar (a monolith or several smaller stones on top of each other) with a horizontal stone lying on it. A U-shaped wall often encloses the structure.
They were built by the Talaiotic Culture between 1000 BC and 300 BC.

Their exact cultural meaning remains unknown, but they probably had religious and/or astronomical purposes. Most of the taulas face south, which seems to suggest some astronomical meaning. Archeologist Michael Hoskin has suggested the taulas may have been part of an ancient healing cult. 

There is great controversy among experts who do not agree about its function,or even in the number of such monuments there is in Menorca, since only a few vestiges remain of some of them.

There is no doubt about the taula at Binissafullet if it is not one of the greatest, it is certainly well restored and preserved.

Omphalotus olearius

 

 

Omphalotus olearius, commonly known as the jack-o'-lantern mushroom, is a poisonous orange gilled mushroom that to an untrained eye appears similar to some chanterelles. It is notable for its bioluminiscent properties. It is found in woodland areas in Europe, where it grows on decaying stumps, buried roots or at the base of hardwood trees.