The bends of the rivers

in Amazonia.

In Marajó - the largest fluvial island in the world, located in the mouth of the Amazonas river - a cluster of marajoara settlements, distributed along the banks of the Camutins river.
Notice the concentration of cerimonial mounds, close to the most expressive bend of the Camutins.

The Bend of the Raia

Close to the town of Mora (Central Alentejo) we find another cluster of pre-historic setllements and ritual sites apparently in connection with the bend of the Raia.

See

Fontainhas 2005

Mora 2006

.

The Bend of the Lucefece

Location of the site


The Rocha da Mina outcrop


The stairs


The well


Depiction of a zig-zag/undulating line, on the Alqueva pannels of Retorta

Rocha da Mina (Alandroal) is a pré-roman sanctuary, eventually devoted to the celtic god Endovellicus, with some rock cut features, such as a stair, a well and an altar.
See http://www.crookscape.org/news.html


The location of this santuary, in a difficult landscape, seems tighly related to a bend of the River Lucefece.

The Bends of the Guadiana

The importance, for the prehistoric mind - in what respects the implantation of sacred sites - of the bends of the rivers, showed on two major european ritual sites (see the two previous posts), is very well exemplified on the Alqueva rock art. Actually, the most important concentrations of carvings are located close to the two major curves of the Guadiana river, called, in portuguese, respectively, the Moinho da Volta and Retorta, both refering to the acentuated bends of the river.

The Bend of the Boyne

The Bend of the Boyne is a extraordinary megalithic complex, in Ireland, the biggest concentration of megalithic art in Europe, Three main monuments (Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth), and other smaller elements, integrate this very defined megalithic landscape.

The name of the area relates to the waving course of the Boyne River.

Stonehenge settlement

Escavações em Durrington Walls, um recinto de fossos, relacionado com Stonehenge. Note-se o curso sinuoso do rio Avon, com o qual se articulam ambos através de avenidas.

O conjunto inclui Woodhenge (aqui representada uma reconstituição feita em 2005).

Veja, no National Geographic Magazine http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/01/070130-stonehenge-video.html,