Ses Païsses

Main gate east-southeast

Location in Mallorca

Ses Païsses (full name Poblat Talaiòtic de Ses Païsses, " Talaiotisches village of Ses Païsses ") is an important archaeological site of a Bronze Age culture Talaiot (also Talayotic ) attributed settlement on the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca. The settlement remains are located southeast of the city of Arta in the region ( comarca ) Llevant. The exact age of the settlement is not known. It is believed that it was inhabited from about 1000 to 100 BC. The archaeological site is one of the best preserved examples of megalithic culture in the Balearic Islands.

Location

Ses Païsses is located approximately 400 meters southeast of the city of Arta edge and is 700 meters from the city center. For prehistoric settlement leads the Camino de Sa Corballa, one at a narrow street -developed, paved road that branches off at a roundabout next to the railway line from Avinguda de Costa i Llobera (MA -15). The driveway from the main road MA -15 is well signposted. The opening times is next to the settlement of Ses Païsses a small car park. Through the system performs a designated trail.

The remains of prehistoric settlement located on a surrounded by old oak hill, 120 to 125 meters above sea level. From here, the surrounding area was well visible in the more Talaiot settlements, as about four kilometers away as the crow Sos Sastres lie. Like other talaiotische settlements located Ses Païsses near a watercourse, which covered the water needs of the residents. The bed of the Torrent de ses Terretes, a confluence of the torrent of Revolts and the torrent of Molinet east of the settlement proceeds, about 50 meters south of the enclosure. Southwest is located in 250 meters from a source.

History of Research

The Megalithsiedlung Ses Païsses has been known for centuries, but until 1946 the archaeological site was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument and are thus protected. In 1950, the State acquired the land. From 1959 to 1963 headed the Italian archaeologist Giovanni Lilliu, primarily known for his exploration of the Sardinian Nuraghe, four excavation campaigns that provided valuable information and most of the buildings visible today uncovered. In the 1990s put the Mallorcan archaeologist Javier Aramburu (* 1961) works Lillius continued and discovered other buildings. Since 2004, excavations are carried out annually.

The research revealed that the central tower, the Talaiot, is to be regarded as the oldest part of the settlement, and was built at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. Its function is not clear. It was probably used as a place for religious ceremonies. It could, however, have also traded a kind of pantry. Defensive purposes, he was probably not. In the following centuries, various residential buildings were built onto the Talaiot. After Aramburu the ring wall 650-540 BC was built when the conflicts between the clans, each inhabited a Talaiot settlement, the protection of the plant made ​​necessary. Until the inclusion of Mallorca to the Roman Empire in the year 123 BC the settlement was permanently inhabited, and the buildings rebuilt several times. Thereafter, it was partially destroyed and abandoned.

Description

Basic Information

• Culture: Talaiotikum I to IV
• Dating of the finds: 1000-100 BC
• Structural engineering: cyclopean
• Total area: 10,800 m²
• Floor plan: approximately elliptical
• Length of axes: north - south and 103 m east-west 133 m
• Circumference of the wall: 374 m
• Average thickness of the walls: 3,60 m
• Maximum height of the walls: 3,50 m at the southeastern access

The structures found

The double- wall (2 and 5 ) surrounding Ses Païsses, was built in cyclopean technique. It is 3.6 meters wide on average and at the southeastern access up to 3.5 meters high. The outer wall rests on large, up to eight-ton stones which were embedded in the soil. During construction of the inner wall wall smaller stones were used and stacked in rows. The three entrances to the settlement consist of two large upright stones as posts, to which a further stone plate is transverse as lintel.

The horseshoe-shaped room ( 3), which is based on the Talaiot, has an area of ​​132 m². Its walls are piled with relatively small stones in horizontal layers. Inside the space Lilliu found several fireplaces with bone remains, Talaiot ceramic, iron tools and a tomb. Lilliu Aramburu and date the building in the late period of the settlement.

The apsidenförmige building, which is known as hypostyle hall ( 3), was probably common purposes. It has in the middle of three free-standing and on the walls on seven other columns. A 0.7 meter high walkway leads from here to the central Talaiot.

The central tower-like construction, the Talaiot ( 4), is the oldest building of Ses Païsses. It is a cylindrical tower of 12 meters in diameter and 4 meters high. How talaiots other settlements he could have had a column in the middle, wearing a roof, even if both are not received. The tower is connected via two low gears with adjacent buildings.

Between two buildings with apsidenförmigem floor plan (6 ) is the only one so far discovered street. The built of large stones wall of a building extends over the settlement wall beyond. The other walls are built of smaller stones. The buildings are divided by walls of clay into three chambers. One of the buildings was abandoned after a fire, but served from 5th to 2nd century BC as a tomb.

South of talaiots there are two rooms with a rectangular plan (7). In the first, which has an area of 25.7 m², the lower part of a column is still preserved. This is also a fire pit was found. It is assumed that the space from the 5th to the 1st century BC, was inhabited. It has even been found here remains from Roman times, such as a n from the second half of the 2nd century BC native lamp. The second area of 37.5 m² area has two pillars inside.

The current excavation area includes a kidney- shaped building, which nestles inside the wall, and a building with a rectangular floor plan near the entrance. The latter was built in the early days of settlement in Zyklopenbauweise and later rebuilt.

• Views of the archaeological site
• The Talaiot
• Access to Talaiot
• The hypostyle hall
• A rectangular space

Featured finds

The Regional Museum of Arta (Catalan Museu Regional d' Arta ) at Carrer de l' Estel 4 next to City Hall displays mainly finds the Talaiot culture from around Arta, especially from Ses Païsses. On display are ceramics, jewelry and various items made ​​of bronze.

Ses Païsses in the literature

The Majorcan writer and clergyman Miquel Costa i Llobera (1854-1922) chose Ses Païsses the scene of much of the action of his poem La deixa geni del grec ( German: The Legacy of Greek genius ) from 1901 The heroine of the poem, Nuredduna. , the grand-daughter of the high priest and soothsayer of the tribe of stone oak, collects the classic heritage of the Greeks. The place is easily recognizable as Ses Païsses.

To commemorate the writer is a monolith prior to the current main entrance to the settlement.