First Published Aug 20, 2022, 2:31 PM IST
USpain is in a severe drought after the heat wave. Stonehenge, estimated to have been built around 7,000 years ago, has re-emerged after a severe drought. Stonehenge in Spain was first discovered in 1924. Later this stone circle was seen four times. Reports from Spain say that the stone circle has recently reappeared. Due to the severe drought that has plagued Spain, the Valdecanas Reservoir now has just 28 percent of its water left. The stone circle, built 7,000 years ago, was re-exposed when the water in the reservoir dried up.
Called the Spanish Stonehenge, this stone circle consists of 150 large stones arranged in a circle. Archaeologists also say that it is 2,000 years older than the famous stone circle monument in Britain. This is the fifth time since 1924 that this stone circle has been uncovered.
There are arguments that the stone circle is a wave representing the nearby Tagus River and not the solar field. Others claim that it was placed over ancient tombs. But this stone circle is not as famous as Stonehenge during Spain. Because it will be under water for a long time.
Although less popular, the two stone circle theories have similarities. The theory that the monument in Wiltshire is an ancient solar calendar is also popular. If there is another flood, this ancient stone circle will be submerged again. Therefore, Angel Castano, president of the Peraleda Cultural Association, demanded that it be relocated from the area.
The site was discovered in 1925 by German priest and amateur archaeologist Hugo Obermeier. Francisco Franco Bahamonte, who ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975, ordered the Tagus River to be raised in 1963. As a result of this, dams were built in the valley. With this, this prehistoric remains was submerged in water.
It lies at the bottom of the reservoir, which today is 14,108 square miles deep. ‘It’s a surprise, it’s a rare opportunity to have access to it,’ said Enrique Cedillo, an archaeologist at Madrid’s Complutense University. Enrique Cedillo is among those who have set out to study this prehistoric stone circle.
Dolmens are vertically arranged stones that usually support flat rock. Although monuments of this type are scattered throughout Western Europe, little is known about who erected them. Human remains found at or near several sites led to a hypothesis that they were tombs.
There is someone who is happy that the water in the reservoir has dried up and surfaced prehistoric objects. Ruben Argentas, owner of a small boat tour business. ‘The dolmen are rising, dolmen tourism is starting,’ he told Archyde.com after a busy day of ferrying tourists to and from the site.
More than 80,000 tourists visit Britain each year to see the giant stone circle, which stands up to 30 feet high. It consists of 10,800 square feet and 30 feet high stones containing 93 stones.
But the stone circle in Spain is only 16 feet in diameter, but smaller and contains more stones. They are only six feet tall. Radiocarbon dating of the stones showed them to be about 7,000 years old.