Basque Dolmen

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.