The Neolithic is characterized by agriculture and animal
husbandry. In the Basque Country it was a late arrival, leaving its inhabitants
in a subneolithic situation almost until the beginning of metallurgy in most of
the territory.
The earliest evidence of contact with Neolithic peoples is
in Zatoia, northern Navarre, with pottery remains dated to c. 6000 BP. The
first evidence of domestication appears in Marizulo (Gipuzkoa) c. 5300 BP.
Burial customs became more defined in this period, using
specific burial spots like dolmen.
The Basque Country has many megaliths, described as dolmens.
They are burial places of a collective nature, placed in spots of great
visibility, often on top of mountain ridges. The materials used are always of
local origin.
Dolmens are formed by a chamber delimited by large flat
stones, covered by another stone as roof. The monument was then covered by
stones and earth, making up a mound.
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