Menir do Outeiro | |
 A view of the menhir | |
 | |
| Alternative name | Penedo comprido |
|---|---|
| Location | Outeiro,Évora,Alentejo,Portugal |
| Coordinates | 38°28′13″N7°23′37″W / 38.470381°N 7.393626°W /38.470381; -7.393626 |
| Type | Phallicmenhir |
| Diameter | 1 meter |
| Height | 5.6 m (18 ft) |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 4000 BC |
| Periods | Neolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1969 |
| Archaeologists | Henrique Leonor Pina; José Pires Gonçalves |
| Condition | Very good |
| Ownership | Portuguese Republic |
| Public access | Yes |
TheMenhir of Outeiro (Portuguese:Menir do Outeiro), also known as the Penedo Comprido (long boulder), is amegalith located midway between the villages of Outeiro and Barrada near the municipality ofReguengos de Monsaraz, in the district ofÉvora, in theAlentejo region ofPortugal. It is a few kilometers from the Portuguese-Spanish-border. The stone was discovered on its side in 1969 by Henrique Leonor Pina and José Pires Gonçalves and, on the initiative of Gonçalves, was raised again around 1970.[1] The menhir was classified as a Portuguese National Monument in 1971.[2][3][4]
The granitemonolith is 5.6 meters high with an average diameter of one meter, and weighs an estimated 8 tonnes. It is the second largest in Portugal. The top has a hollow of 30 cm in diameter, which is believed to represent a urethra, thus giving rise to the understanding that the megalith symbolizes aphallus. It is considered one of the best examples of a phallic menhir in theIberian Peninsula. Based on its similarity to other megalithic finds in the Évora district, the menhir is believed to date from the LateNeolithic orChalcolithic.[2][3]
Media related toMenir do Outeiro at Wikimedia Commons