Talaiot in Majorca

Talaiot at Son Serra, Majorca

Main entrance to Ses Païsses talaiotic settlement, Majorca

The talaiots, or talayots, are Bronze Age megaliths on the islands of Minorca and Majorca forming part of the Talaiotic Culture or Talaiotic Period (for further information and images, see the different wikipedia articles in Catalan and other languages). They date from the late second millennium and early first millennium BC. There are at least 274 of them, in, near, or related to Talaiotic settlements and Talaiotic navetes. While some certainly had a defensive purpose, the purpose of others is not clearly understood. Some believe them to have served the purpose of lookout or signalling towers, as on Menorca, they form a network. These monuments pre-date the taulas, which are usually found nearby.

Similar but not necessarily related are the "nuraghi" of Sardinia, the "torre" of Corsica, and the "sesi" of Pantelleria.

One of the "Sesi" on Pantelleria

Talaiotic sites include:

• Capocorb Vell, 12km south of Llucmajor: five talaiots and ancient village
• Ses Païsses, near Artà, Majorca
• Son Olesa dolmen, Majorca, discovered in 1999 [1]
• Talatí de Dalt, Minorca
• Trebalúger, Minorca
• Es Trepucó, Minorca
• Torre d'en Galmés, Minorca

[edit] See also

• Gymnesian Islands
• Naveta

[edit] Sources

• Gomila, Joan J. Minorca: An Architectural Guide

[edit] External links

• Guide to Minorca: Prehistory
• The Archaeology of Minorca

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