From prehistoric until Roman times, Calescoves attracted the attention of the different Menorcan settlers. It was occupied for many centuries and is therefore a highly significant archaeological area due to the quantity and importance of its monuments.
It includes a necropolis from the Talayotic period made up of over 90 burial caves and hypogea dug out from the very cliffs of the cove, a jetty, also from prehistoric times, a coastal settlement, delimited by a prehistoric outer wall, and a sanctuary from the time of the Roman Empire.
Schedule: Open acces
Price: Free
Open: Yes
Access: Access is from the Me-12 road from Maó to Cala en Porter. At km. 10 there is a turnoff to the left. Following the Biniedrís path to the sea takes you to the necropolis. Access is on foot.
Road signs are posted.
Car Park: No
Guided tours: Visitor information panels are posted.
Contact:
Services: No
Access for individuals with reduced mobility: No
More information See map
More information: The over 90 burial hypogea and natural caves that make up the necropolis are located within the cliffs of the Biniedrís and Son Domingo ravines. The cove is formed where these ravines reach the sea, each of which reaching heights of up to 45 metres above sea level.
These crags were the site of the funerary rites performed by prehistoric Menorcan societies for nearly 1,500 years, which explains the presence of a variety of types of tombs that span from the naveta settlement period (1400 BC), through the Talayotic period (900-750 BC) and to the Late Talayotic period (750-123 BC).
Natural caves:
These caves were used for the collective burial of small social groups. A cyclopean enclosure wall with a central doorway made up of three large stones was added on. The tombs show signs of the typical funerary rites of the period, which involved the placement of corpses in foetal position, wrapped with ox skins and ropes and accompanied by certain bronze and bone objects. The period of use dates back to the 11th and 10th centuries BC, lasting until the 8th century BC, when they coincided with the first tombs in the form of hypogea, or artificial caves.
Hypogea from the Talayotic period:
These structures were made up of just one chamber, oval in shape, with a semicircular or rectangular portal, and either a low flat roof or perhaps slightly vaulted. They are located somewhat elevated off the ground (between 2 and 20 metres) and were used between the 9th and 7th centuries BC. Among the objects found during excavation are those typical of navetas and natural caves. The grave goods show a certain level of wealth and variety with regard to bronze elements: breastplates, torcs, ox horns, spearheads and even the earliest iron objects. The burial rites were the same as those practiced in natural caves.
Hypogea from the Late Talayotic period:
There are also hypogea with larger chambers that are divided up through the placement of columns, pillars and pilasters. They have rectangular doorways, outdoor courtyards dug out from the rock and flat roofs. They are easily accessible, despite frequently being located at elevations. The grave goods found in these constructions were varied and included many iron objects (knives, swords, semicircular blades, scissors). Bronze objects were less common and were typically more valuable or prestigious items (ceremonial batons, chain necklaces, torcs and bracelets).
The coastal settlement:
Located at one end of the Son Domingo cove in Calescoves, it includes an outer wall that seals off the coastal headland on its western side, forming a somewhat quadrangular enclosure, inside of which we find a number of scattered structures. The approximate total length of the wall is 208.5 m. It is double-sided with a thickness of around 4 m and includes a number of “huts”, or open spaces covered by large stone slabs with other attached elements. Within the area delimited by the wall of the coastal settlement is a well dug out from the parent rock, with a 1-metre wide access corridor. It has 45 steps that lead down to the ancient phreatic level, around 14 m deep.
Jetty:
The layout and relief of Calescoves also allowed this location to be used as a launching point for a large variety of commercial goods. The cove forms a small harbour that facilitated the loading and unloading of merchandise, primarily between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC, as clearly shown by the large number of ceramic receptacles of all sizes and from multiples periods that have been discovered on the cove’s seafloor. The relatively easy access to water from the freshwater spring beside the Biniedrís beach further increased the attractive nature of this location.
Cova dels Jurats cave (sanctuary from Roman times):
This natural cave underwent archaeological excavation between 2010 and 2012 by M. Orfila, G. Baratta and M. Mayer, who determined that unlike the other caves at Calescoves, all of a burial nature, this one served as a sanctuary, distinguishing also two different phases of use. The first corresponds to the Late Talayotic period, making it the first prehistoric rock sanctuary of the Talayotic culture in both Menorca and Mallorca. In the Roman period, the site was still in use as a sanctuary, although with utterly different rituals, to which we can attribute the inscriptions discovered at the cave’s entrance.