It is one of the most remarkable and well preserved prehistoric settlements on the island. It was inhabited until Roman times.
The town
Talatí de Dalt preserves different monuments: a talayot, a talayot with an elliptical floor plan and truncated cone profile, the taula enclosure with a special configuration, since a column and its capital rest on the side of the central T, a sector of dwellings and a sector of dwellings or houses that preserved the roof of slabs placed radially and supported on columns and some caves. caves.
The talayot: A building built to impress
This type of construction gives its name to the Talayotic culture and some 300 examples are preserved, scattered throughout the island.
The central talayot is the largest of the three that the settlement had. Among the functions of this building is possibly that of guarding and controlling the territory.
The talayots began to be built around 1200 B.C., although the lack of excavations made on this particular talayot prevents us from having a precise date for it.
It seems evident that the talayots are buildings that were built with the combined effort of the whole community or a good part of it.
It has been proposed that its construction could represent a way to unite the inhabitants of the village. It could also be a way to show the power of the community to other villages, since the talayots are very visible in the territory. They could also indicate the hierarchy of the Talayotic society and be a symbol of the power of an elite over the population.
It is a truncated cone structure built from concentric layers of large stones, laid dry. The spaces between the different layers were filled with smaller stones, without any mortar.
Its internal structure is unknown to us, since no archaeological excavation has been carried out, but it is possible that, originally, there was a central chamber, now collapsed.
The diversity of forms of the talayots in Menorca does not allow us to establish a single typology and function. On the other hand, most of them are still unexcavated, which makes their interpretation even more difficult.
The taula enclosure: A sacred space
(late Talayotic, 500- Ι century B.C.)
The taula enclosures are buildings of sacred character, exclusive of Menorca. Of the 33 that we know of, only 7 still have the taula or central pillar. In each village there is generally only one taula enclosure.
They have a horseshoe shape, with a concave facade usually facing south. Currently the entrance to the taula enclosure of Talatí is not the original one, since we enter through the back of the building, currently collapsed. The taula enclosures are built with large stones and dry-laid slabs, with pilasters attached to the perimeter wall and a central pillar with a rectangular capital that forms the “T”.
Religious celebrations took place during the summer months. They were probably related to the cycles of agriculture, and were dedicated to a divinity that we do not know. In the interior of this type of building, between the entrance and the T, remains of ashes and animal bones have been found, indicating that celebrations were held in which fire and the consumption of meat were present.
A second element typical of the rituals is wine. Most of the amphorae arrived, through trade, from Ibiza, where at that time there was a Carthaginian colony. Wine was, therefore, an imported element that the Talayotic population must have introduced in their rituals. Some researchers consider that some elements of these enclosures are a consequence of the influence of Punic culture.
Possible construction process of a taula
The final talayotic houses
Large dwellings for extended families (500 BC – Ι century BC).
During this period, the houses are circular in shape and are built with large stones. In some cases, they are attached to each other, and in other cases there are small streets that separate them.
Each house must have been inhabited by a large family group, in which lived from grandparents to grandchildren. Inside there is an uncovered courtyard where domestic work was carried out, with a hearth where cooking was done, and one or two cavities for water.
During the archaeological excavation, to-and-fro mills were found, which were used to grind cereals such as barley and wheat. Dried fish remains have also been documented in the mills. The ceramics found were mainly pots, cheese pots and storage vessels, as well as amphorae that had contained wine. Weights of looms were also found, with which the wool of the sheep was woven, and bone and bronze awls to work the skins of the animals.
Around this courtyard are radially distributed the different rooms, with wooden doors, where the inhabitants of the house slept, gathered and stored food. On each side of the entrance there were small cubicles that probably served to enclose smaller livestock, such as pigs. Normally at the entrance of the houses there is a second, larger courtyard. Near the house there are usually one or two cisterns for water and a hypostyle room, which served as a storehouse.
Covered enclosures: A unique construction
This particular type of covered structure is only known in this village. It is a labyrinthine construction excavated in the rock and covered with large slabs resting on stone columns with a large capital.
This area was excavated by a team of archaeologists linked to the association Amics del Museu de Menorca between 1997 and 2001, and they interpreted the area as a place of storage and production workshops.
Between the buildings there are alleys, some of them paved and covered. There are also public spaces, such as uncovered courtyards, where groups met and carried out different activities (tool making, leather processing, weaving, cereal milling…).
The findings made during the excavations give us information about the diet of its inhabitants. The study of the bones found has allowed us to know that the inhabitants of the village had:
- goats: from which they took advantage of the meat and milk.
- sheep: from which the wool was possibly also used to make fabrics.
- pigs: even the fat was used to make lard, which was very important at this time as there was no olive oil produced in Menorca. They also smeared their bodies with this lard, as well as with mastic oil, to protect their skin.
- oxen: their strength was probably used for transport and for tilling.
- Cows: the meat was used, as well as the milk to make cheese.
Rabbit and weasel remains have also been found. Butcher’s tool marks have been found on some dog bones, indicating that their meat was used as food. This fact has been interpreted as something exceptional, in times of scarce resources.
Caves: The entrances to the world of the dead
The caves were used throughout Menorca’s prehistory as collective burial places, where the members of the community were deposited as they died.
Funeral rituals changed over time and became more sophisticated. The bodies were deposited on the ground, accompanied by some objects (known as “grave goods”).
During the early Talayotic period, a series of rituals were practiced and to accompany the deceased during their journey to the afterlife, aromatic herbs were burned, the hair of the deceased was dyed, a lock of hair was cut and placed in a cylindrical container made of bone or leather. Small “ceramic” vessels with food or liquids were also deposited.
All this information is available through excavations carried out in more inaccessible and well preserved caves. The caves in this settlement were reused until a few years ago to keep livestock and no remains of the Talayotic burial sites have been preserved.
How to get there
Address: Turn left at km 4 of the highway Mahón – Ciutadella.
Open map with GPS indications
Schedule
Summer: Open every day from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Winter: From November to Easter week free admission.
PRICE: 4€.
Group discounts.
Pensioners and students 1,5€.
Children under 12 years old free admission.
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