Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro

The dolmen stands one kilometre north of the Convent of Bom Jesus of Valverde, around Herdade da Mitra. It has an irregular free-standing plan of a single chamber with a polygonal funerary chamber and a rectangular corridor. Large granite slabs cover the chamber and smaller slabs cover the entrance corridor. The principal face is oriented towards the east and is formed by the projection of the corridor over the chamber face. The remaining façades are obstructed by the mound, which still covers almost the entire structure except for the eastern side.

The polygonal chamber consists of seven 8 metre-high pillars. It is followed by smaller 2 metre-high slabs forming a 12 metre long (1.5 metre wide) corridor. The 7 metre coverage slab, which acted as a roof, lies broken on the mound, with a sag on its western edge. The entrance was marked by a large menhir, decorated with dimples, which now lies on the ground.

In 1965 Henrique Leonor Pina carried out archaeological excavations, which created some controversy because of the techniques used. They unearthed slate tablets, necklaces, crosiers, copper objects, ceramics and carinated bowls, which were transferred to the museum of Évora. A second series of excavations took place in 1989-1990 under the direction of Carlos Tavares da Silva and Joaquina Soares, although there have been no publications on its results.