Prosecutors investigate destruction of ancient dolmens and Roman villa for monoculture

Portugal’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the destruction of two prehistoric dolmens and a Roman villa in the municipality of Évora, after the archaeological sites were cleared to make way for a walnut monoculture.

The inquiry follows revelations that the monuments, located at Herdade das Atafonas in Torre de Coelheiros, were destroyed during the establishment of a plantation operated by walnut producer Nogam, part of the Sogepoc Group.

Confirming the move, the Attorney General’s Office said only that an inquiry had been opened to establish the circumstances surrounding the case.

According to archaeologist Leonor Rocha of the University of Évora, the destruction is believed to have occurred in 2016, or early 2017.

Following a recent visit to the site, Rocha said there is now “absolutely no evidence” of the two dolmens remaining above ground.

“The Roman villa can still be identified because materials remain visible on the surface, and there is no doubt about its location,” she said.

The case has also prompted action from the Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR), which is gathering evidence to submit its own complaint to prosecutors.

“We cannot let this pass,” said CCDR vice-president Henrique Sim-Sim, warning that similar cases have occurred across Alentejo. “We want an end to these situations once and for all.”

Questions are now being raised over whether local authorities failed to flag the protected heritage sites before the agricultural project was approved.

Rocha said the two megalithic monuments were already included in Évora’s Municipal Master Plan (PDM) at the time, and should have been identified in documentation provided to the developer. The Roman villa, although known to municipal archaeologists, had not yet been formally incorporated into the planning framework, she conceded.

Évora mayor Carlos Zorrinho has ordered an internal investigation into whether municipal services failed to mention the monuments when issuing compliance documentation for the plantation.

“The essential thing is to understand what happened and improve procedures so that it does not happen again,” he agreed.

Nogam insists it was unaware of the archaeological remains when the plantation was established.

Agricultural director Pedro Pinho said the company sought guidance from the municipality before planting and received documentation stating there were no restrictions on the land.

“We were surprised when we later learned of the destruction,” he said, adding that the company is willing to cooperate with authorities and take steps to mitigate the damage where possible.

The case has reignited concerns about the protection of Portugal’s archaeological heritage, particularly in rural regions where large-scale agricultural developments/ monocultures continue to expand.

As Henrique Sim-Sim attests, this is definitely not the first time this kind of destruction has taken place, to make way for intensive agriculture on a large scale. Back in 2022, Público carried a long article on similar destruction in the Alentejo – also in 2017 – stressing that the dolmens were “erected with skill, patience and effort”, only for a JCB to come along and destroy them in a trice.

Source: LUSA