Significance of stone circle (menhirs) near Atapuerca

[Deleted member 56069]

I have been trying to determine the significance of a group of 6 stone menhirs located between Ages and Atapuerca. There is a single stone menhir very close to Attapuerca which I gather marks the spot of the Battle of Atapuerca in 1054, but I can't seem to find any reference to the stone circle in my attached picture.
Anyone?

 

[Tincatinker]

Hmm, can't find this on any of the usual antiquity sites. Where exactly is it? It doesn't resemble any of the classic mamoas which makes me wonder if its a (relatively) modern construct. There appears to be plaques on each of the stones, or at least modern square-cut recesses, what were they about? It would be unusual to cut prehistoric monuments to affix explanatory plaques.

 

[Purky]

There is a lot going on with menhirs in that area: search for 'dolmen atapuerca': the Atapuerca Mountains apparently are a treasure trove when it comes to Neolithic culture. Your photo reminded me of Avebury (near Stonehenge, UK), with similar stones and stone circles. The significance is unknown, but plenty of theories.

 

[Tincatinker]

The curious, and those with faster Spanish than mine might like to peruse this site http://cromlechpirenaico.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/megalitos-modernos-y-falsos-4.html

The implication is that this is indeed a modern construct una megalito moderno y falso.

But then I had a 'history' teacher who claimed that Stonehenge was built by the Romans to 'trap' Druids.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

Hmm, can't find this on any of the usual antiquity sites. Where exactly is it? It doesn't resemble any of the classic mamoas which makes me wonder if its a (relatively) modern construct. There appears to be plaques on each of the stones, or at least modern square-cut recesses, what were they about? It would be unusual to cut prehistoric monuments to affix explanatory plaques.

The stones are located slightly more than halfway from Ages to Atapuerca. They are a field adjacent as you walk down the paved road to Atapuerca.
They may be relatively modern in origin as I agree it is unlikely ancient stones would be defaced with bronze plaques.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

The curious, and those with faster Spanish than mine might like to peruse this site http://cromlechpirenaico.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/megalitos-modernos-y-falsos-4.html

The implication is that this is indeed a modern construct una megalito moderno y falso.

But then I had a 'history' teacher who claimed that Stonehenge was built by the Romans to 'trap' Druids.

Time for Google Translate, but it seems that this a modern grouping of stones then.

 

[Kathar1na]

The implication is that this is indeed a modern construct una megalito moderno y falso.

Well spotted ! I wonder whether this is the result of an event called "levantamiento de menhir a modo prehistórico" which takes place in the area? If so, the stones and their location are late 20th/early 21st century. If you google for these words, you find a bunch of articles and images. The stones are dedicated to persons or groups involved with the Atapuerca discoveries.

 

[Tincatinker]

Thanks Kathar1na! I'd had a ghost of a memory of an 'Atapuerca Memorial'. Time to get Google working for its rep again

 

[Kathar1na]

According to this article, the first stone was erected in 1998 and number 6 was put up in 2014. I think at least one more was added since then.

 

[Tincatinker]

That is lovely. I'm minded of Mortimer Wheeler's comment on the erection of Stonehenge "How they did it is largely irrelevant. It is the fact that they did it at all that is astonishing."

 

[Bradypus]

Here in Wales there are a lot of modern stone circles. Until fairly recently it was the custom to build one each year near the site of the National Eisteddfod - the main Welsh-language cultural festival which has a lot of "druid" ceremony attached. This event moves to different towns around the country each year. These days they use portable and lightweight fibreglass rocks to build a temporary circle instead

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The stones are located slightly more than halfway from Ages to Atapuerca. They are a field adjacent as you walk down the paved road to Atapuerca.

I found the spot was near 42.373593,-3.499205 but I couldn't find any trustworthy page on the web that said what they were for or what was written on the plaques. I stopped and read them but I just can't remember what they said.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Here in Wales there are a lot of modern stone circles. Until fairly recently it was the custom to build one each year near the site of the National Eisteddfod - the main Welsh-language cultural festival which has a lot of "druid" ceremony attached. This event moves to different towns around the country each year. These days they use portable and lightweight fibreglass rocks to build a temporary circle instead

My Welsh friends and I decided many of those old "magical stone circles" might be nothing more than sheep pens.

 

[Bradypus]

My Welsh friends and I decided many of those old "magical stone circles" might be nothing more than sheep pens.

This one is very near where I live. Built in 1922. The sheep would have to have been much bigger in those days to be penned up in this!

 

[Charlotte Helbig]

I found the spot was near 42.373593,-3.499205 but I couldn't find any trustworthy page on the web that said what they were for or what was written on the plaques. I stopped and read them but I just can't remember what they said.

The article referenced by Kathar1na talks about how difficult it was to move and place such heavy stones, but doesn't say where they were moved from. So the "levantamiento de menhir a modo prehistórico" means that they are erecting and placing these stones to make it look like a prehistoric site, but it really isn't. It says that each one has a plaque that bears the name of the individual or group associated with excavating arqueological sites in the area. The blogspot dated July 2012 indicats that the "megalitos modernos" refers to the fact that they are indeed modern, and that none of the megaliths are natural. The 4 false ones are the dolmens pictured beneath the megaliths, because they are simply reproductions. One of them was placed by the village priest.

 

[Pelegrin]

The curious, and those with faster Spanish than mine might like to peruse this site http://cromlechpirenaico.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/megalitos-modernos-y-falsos-4.html

The implication is that this is indeed a modern construct una megalito moderno y falso.

But then I had a 'history' teacher who claimed that Stonehenge was built by the Romans to 'trap' Druids.

At least the Romans didn´t use the stones to build roads and bridges

 

[hecate105]

this site is great for identifying or finding ancient stones, holy wells etc - worldwide...
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/

 

[Pruden]

I think is a modern work made to signal the area where very old digging are taken place , I'm talking about something that happened about maybe 800,000 ago!
Call the Sima de los huesos , ancients human beens and prehistoric animal, discovered when a train was going to be crossing the are to carry minerals!

 

[MaryLynn]

When I first encountered these standing stones in 2011, I assumed they are associated with the ethnology/archeology museum on the other side of the road and were probably moved from another site. There is also a sign and a 'sculpture' near the stones. The ethnology museum in Burgos is well-worth a visit.