eng.

THE TALAYOT SETTLEMENT OF S’ILLOT

THE TALAYOT CULTURE

The Talayot Culture (850 cal BC - 550 cal BC)

All societies have left their footprint on the territory, althoughthe prehistoric cultures perhaps more than others. This isparticularly true of the Talayot culture, whose constructions wereso majestic that still today they make up a unique landscape.

These new structures were built at the same time as a changewas coming about in the social and economic system that usheredin the final and richest stage in the prehistory of the BalearicIslands. The most characteristic feature of the period is itscyclopean architecture, diverse structures built with huge stoneblocks that are evidence of a complex social organisation withinthe community.

An example of this culture is the Talayot settlement of S’Illot.

THE TALAYOT SETTLEMENT OF S’ILLOT VISITORS CENTRE

The Visitors Centre provides an introduction to and complementsthe tour of the archaeological site. It takes you into the prehistoricworld and the Talayot culture and shows you what the peoplewho lived in Mallorca at that time were like, how they lived, theircustoms and other characteristics.

AT THE CENTRE YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT:

The Talayot culture

The post-Talayot culture

The Talayot settlement of S’Illot from a scale model of the

whole village

What life was like at S’Illot

See a virtual theatre scene of daily life in a village house

We recommend seeing the S’Illot Visitors Centre first as it will

help you understand what you are looking at when you tour the

site.

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COMPLEX OF KIDNEY-SHAPED

DWELLINGS ADJOINING A CENTRAL

TOWER-SHAPED STRUCTURE (550-123

BC)

Life in the Talayot village was organisedaround two spheres, one communal or socialand the other domestic. The large cyclopeanbuildings would have been used forcommunal or social activities, while theadjoining dwellings were for domestic andfamily activities.

Although the houses varied in size, theywould have been occupied by between 5 and9 people. Their internal distribution showsus that were areas for sleeping and forpreparing food around a hearth. Meat, mainlyfrom sheep, goats, pigs and oxen, was themain part of their diet, complemented bycereals, tubers and fruit.

THE TALAYOT SETTLEMENT OF S’ILLOT

The settlement of S’Illot is one of the mostimportant archaeological sites from theTalayot and post-Talayot cultures (850-123BC), both because of its monumental varietyand its long and complex historical evolution.It is made up of different complexes in whichwe find communal buildings surrounded bythe houses in which the people lived. We canstill see a large section of the wall that musthave originally surrounded the wholesettlement.

The site of S’Illot was occupied for more thana thousand years, during which it grew intothe structure that remains today. The oldestremains date from the end of the BronzeAge (1100-850 BC) and those we see todaywere built over them. The most intensiveperiod of occupation was from around 900BC to approximately the first century BC,although the site was still inhabited to alesser extent until the Islamic conquest.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ITINERARY

The itinerary is circular and can be startedat any of the numbered points (see theattached plan).

POINTS OF INTEREST

1. A group of kidney-shaped dwellings

2. Kidney-shaped dwelling. Talayot house

3. Central stepped tower-shaped structure

4. Exterior talayot

5. Settlement walls

6. Interior talayot and adjoining dwellings

7. Shrines or important buildings

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CENTRAL STEPPED TOWER-SHAPED

STRUCTURE

This is the oldest area of the settlement ofS’Illot and the stepped tower-shapedstructure was built over the remains of theLate Bronze Age buildings (1100-900 BC).

From this vantage point you can see thewhole of the settlement of S’Illot and all itsstructures. You are standing on top of astepped tumulus, a solid and highly symbolicbuilding used for communal activities. Aseries of dwellings was built around thistower-shaped structure. Those nearest to itcan be dated to between 850 and 550 BC,whereas those farther away were built after550 BC.

KIDNEY-SHAPED DWELLING.

TALAYOT HOUSE

This is one of the few houses in thesettlement of S’Illot that has been excavatedby archaeologists. This dwelling has a sideentrance and was divided into three areas:a small one to the right of the entrance, asecond, much larger one, in the middle ofwhich there was a hearth for cooking, and,at the end of the house, a third room in whichanother hearth was found.

This room was used as the model for the virtual theatre.

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THE WALL

To the right, at the end of the settlement,you can see the remains of the wall thatpossibly surrounded the whole complex. Itwas built with large slabs of limestone, someof which weigh more than a ton. It had botha defensive and a symbolic function asa demonstration of the power of thecommunity that was capable of building it.

EXTERIOR TALAYOT

From this area you can see three of thecomplexes that make up the settlement ofS’Illot. The first is located to the left. It is atalayot with an adjoining dwelling. Talayotsare tower-shaped structures that can eitherbe circular or square. They can have manyfunctions, depending on their location insidethe settlement, either in areas of control orin ceremonial gathering places. They arealways linked to communal activities, suchas control of the territory, ceremonies or thedistribution of food.

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IMPORTANT BUILDINGS OR SHRINES

In the foreground you can see two apse-shaped buildings, one of which still has acolumn base in it. Because of their shapethey have been interpreted as shrines orimportant buildings in the settlement. Theywere probably built after 600 BC.

THE INTERIOR TALAYOT AND ITS

ADJOINING DWELLINGS

In the background you can see another groupof buildings consisting of a circular talayotwith a series of adjoining houses. The talayotwould have been used for communalactivities, such as food distribution addifferent types of ceremony, while thefamilies of the settlement would have livedin the adjoining rooms.

Sketch of a Talayot shrine

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Departament d’Economia i TurismeUniversitat de les Illes Balears

UIB

www.santllorenc.es

C/ Llebeig, 3 s'Illot Tel. 971811475