The Painted Dolmen of Antelas, Viseu, Portugal

Antelas is one of the wonders of Neolithic Europe, it’s painted designs are among the best preserved anywhere. The chamber of the dolmen itself was almost entirely buried until excavated in the last century. After the first excavation, the paintings were examined and then the site was buried again for preservation. It was then re-excavated in the late 1980s and partially restored.

Every stone in the chamber has painted decoration and some also bear carvings of zig zags which echo the painted designs over or near them.

I first got to visit this site in 2016 by special arrangement with local archaeologists, it is usually kept locked for conservation reasons.

Once inside, you first see the magnificient painting on the tall backstone, a large geometric design, somewhat off-centre, surrounded by zig-zags and serpentiforms. The figure of a person or humanoid creature can be found on the next stone to the left. Other stones typically have zig-zag or serpentiforms and star-like motifs.

It appears that the paintings, like most other painted dolmens, were first created on a white background, but, being made of organic material, the white is the least likely colour to survive.

On a damp, misty morning, the paintings came alive for this photograph, taken with special LED lighting to avoid affecting the pigments. The dust-covered stones always show the art best after a night of rain.

Print only on heavyweight fine art cotton rag paper with white border. Sizing relates to paper size.