A new interdisciplinary study has revealed that one of Europe’s largest Neolithic monuments was used for burial thousands of years after it was built, offering rare insight into how ancient sites continued to shape ritual life long after prehistory ended.
Researchers found that two individuals were deliberately buried inside the Menga dolmen during the early medieval Islamic period. Genetic, archaeological, and historical evidence show the burials were carefully planned, not accidental intrusions into a long-abandoned structure.
The findings challenge the assumption that prehistoric monuments lost their meaning once the cultures that created them disappeared. Instead, the study suggests that Menga remained a powerful and symbolically charged place for thousands of years.
A monument older than Stonehenge
Built more than 5,000 years ago, the Menga dolmen stands near Antequera in southern Iberia. Neolithic builders hauled massive stone slabs across open plains to construct the monument, making it one of the largest megalithic structures in Europe. The site predates both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.
Menga is also unusual in its design. Unlike most European megaliths, it does not face the rising sun. Its long axis points toward a prominent natural rock formation in the surrounding landscape. Researchers say this alignment reflects a worldview rooted in landscape symbolism as much as astronomy. Today, Menga forms part of the UNESCO-listed Antequera Dolmens Site.
Medieval burials inside a prehistoric structure
Archaeological evidence shows that Menga remained significant long after the Neolithic period. Bronze Age communities, Iron Age groups, Romans, and later medieval populations all revisited or modified the site.
The strongest evidence of medieval reuse emerged in 2005, when excavations in the dolmen’s atrium uncovered two human burials placed directly inside the monument. Both individuals were over 45 years old at death. Archaeologists found no grave goods, suggesting a simple burial rite.
Radiocarbon dating places the burials between the eighth and 11th centuries CE, during the early centuries of Islamic rule in southern Iberia, then part of Al-Andalus.
A burial orientation without precedent
The orientation of the bodies drew particular attention. Both individuals were buried face down, with their heads turned to the right. Their faces pointed southeast, toward Mecca, consistent with Islamic funerary practice.
At the same time, their bodies were aligned precisely with the prehistoric axis of the dolmen. Researchers say this dual alignment has no clear parallel in nearby Islamic cemeteries. While orientation toward Mecca was standard, referencing the internal design of a Neolithic monument was not.
The placement suggests the monument itself played an active role in the burial ritual.
DNA offers clues to identity and movement
To better understand who the individuals were, researchers analyzed ancient DNA. Recovering genetic material in the Mediterranean is difficult due to heat and soil conditions. At Menga, less than one percent of the recovered DNA was human.
Using advanced techniques targeting more than 1.2 million genetic markers, the team reconstructed the genome of one individual, known as Menga1. His DNA revealed a mix of local Iberian, North African, and Levantine-related ancestry, reflecting the interconnected nature of the medieval Mediterranean.
Researchers caution that genetic ancestry does not reveal religious belief. DNA can trace biological origins, but not faith.
A sacred landscape across millennia
Historical sources from the Islamic world describe fascination with ancient ruins, often viewed as places of hidden power. The researchers suggest Menga may have functioned as a qubba or marabout—a shrine or retreat associated with revered individuals.
Rather than a forgotten relic, the study presents Menga as a monument with a long and evolving life. The burials show how ancient structures could be reinterpreted and re-sacralized, remaining meaningful across major cultural and religious change.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
