Article Author:
Reuters
Silvio Castellanos and Marco Trujillo
Cáceres — A brutal summer wreaked havoc on many in rural Spain, but the worst drought in decades An unexpected side effect by archaeologists has delighted people – the appearance of prehistoric stone circles at waterline-receding dams.
Formally known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, it is also known as the Stonehenge of Spain. Dozens of megalithic rings are believed to date back to 5000 BC.
It is now completely exposed in a corner of the Valdecanas Reservoir in central Caceres province, where water levels have fallen to 28% of his capacity, according to officials.
"This is a surprise, a rare opportunity to have access to this," said Enrique Zedillo, an archaeologist at Madrid's Complutense University. submerged again.
It was discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Obermeyer in 1926, but in 1963 the area was flooded with rural development projects under his Franco dictatorship.
Since then, he has been fully visible only four times.
A dolmen is a vertical arrangement of stones, usually supporting a flat rock. Many are scattered across Western Europe, but little is known about who built them. Human remains found at or near many locations have led to the oft-cited theory that they are graves.
Local historical and tourist associations advocate moving the Guadalperal stones to museums and dry land.
Their presence Little Boat Good news for Ruben Argentas, who runs his tour business. "The dolmens will emerge and dolmen tourism will begin," he told Reuters after a busy day of driving tourists to and from the site.
But bright for local farmers. No sign.
"We haven't had enough rain since spring...we don't have water for livestock and we have to transport it," said José Manuel Comendador. Another Rufino Guinea said his pepper crop was devastated.
Climate change will bring the Iberian peninsula to its driest in 1,200 years, with winter precipitation expected to fall further, says a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. . (Additional reporting by Susana Vera; writing by Anna Valderrama and Andrei Kalip; editing by John Stonestreet)
