In the bosom of the Earth: a new megalithic monument at the Antequera World Heritage Site

Antequera in southern Spain is widely recognised as an outstanding example of the European megalithic phe-nomenon. One of its most remarkable features is the evident relationship between conspicuous natural for-mations and human-built monuments. Here, the authors report the results of their investigation of a tomb newly discovered at the site of Piedras Blancas at the foot of La Pena de los Enamorados, a limestone massif that dominates the Antequera plain. Excavation and multidisciplinary study, including geological, architectural and archaeoastronomical investigations, have revealed a complex funerary monument that is part natural, part built, part hypogeum, part megalith. The results emphasise the centrality of La Pena in the Neolithic worldview and encouragewider investigation of prehistoric place-making.