Archaeological Site Capocorb Vell (Mallorca)

Archaeological Site Capocorb Vell

One of Majorca's best-conserved talayotic villages
Archaeological Site Capocorb Vell

One of Majorca's best-conserved talayotic villages
Archaeological Site Capocorb Vell

One of Majorca's best-conserved talayotic villages

Archaeological Site Capocorb Vell

One of the most extensive talayotic villages on the island, with an area of more than 6000 square meters. First excavated in 1918, it consists of several talayots and groupings of rooms

The talayotic village of Capocorb Vell is one of the best conserved on Majorca. This walled area conserves five talayots, two of which are square and three are circular, one having two floors. Predating these (6th century BCE) are groups of dwellings mostly consisting of a square room, sometimes with an antechamber in front of it.

Although some 28 have been counted so far, the village is known to have extended much further to the northeast. Furthermore, the village is believed to have had a sanctuary that was destroyed in the construction work on a nearby military road.

It is a somewhat atypical Talayotic settlement due to the fact that it remained inhabited until the Middle Ages, during which time it underwent few changes. Some archaeologists believe that more than a settlement, it might be a ceremonial area near a settlement, and that the settlement itself must have been around 100 metres further southwest, where today the Capocorb Vell house stands. That would not be surprising because on Mallorca the Talayotic sites have traditionally been used as sources of construction materials.

The first scientific excavations were carried out by Josep Colominas Roca (1918) and was also studied by archaeologists L. C. Watelin and Albert Mayr. New excavations were undertaken in the 1960s, led by Bartomeu Font Obrador. It was listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931.