Son Catlar is one of the largest Talayotic settlements in the Balearic Islands and the only one whose outer wall around most of the settlement remains intact. Although the settlement’s origins date back to the Bronze Age, Son Catlar first gained importance just before the Roman conquest. According to archaeological research, it was between the 5th and 4th centuries BC when the settlement was reinforced with a nearly 900-metre fortification wall that stood over 3 metres tall in some sections. Within the walled enclosure, three talayots, a taula enclosure and a hypostyle hall have been identified, while the remaining structures are hidden by vegetation.
Schedule: Open access
Price: Free
Open: Yes
Access: Access is along Ciutadella’s southern ring road, taking the Sant Joan de Missa exit and following signs to the Son Saura beach. Road signs are posted.
Bus: L66
Car Park: Yes
Guided tours: Visitor information panels are posted.
Contact: Municipal Museum of Ciutadella
971 38 02 97
museu@ajciutadella.org
Services: No
Access for individuals with reduced mobility: No
More information See map
More information: Follow the path from the car park until reaching the area of the settlement. This leads directly to the outer wall and then on to the inner area. However, one of the settlement’s entrances was through the old portal, found 300 metres to the right from the current entrance. The portal’s lintel was discovered fallen to the ground, but it was restored to its original position in 1958. This is not the only point of access, as excavations carried out by the University of Alicante and the Municipal Museum of Ciutadella, within the framework of the Modular Project, have documented the existence of a second doorway. These two doors are quite interesting from a military strategic point of view, as access to the settlement was not direct, but instead followed a zigzag path to complicate access in case of attack.
Once inside the enclosure, we find the remains of both a circle and the northern talayot, which preserves a small covered room.
The taula enclosure is the largest in all of Menorca and its taula may also have been. The enclosure’s size may explain why it had two entrances, a true exception in comparison with other archaeological sites of this type, typically with just one. Within the enclosure, the central pilaster is broken and there are no remains from the capital stone. In 1923, it underwent archaeological excavation by F. Hernández Sanz, although only a portion of the enclosure was actually excavated.
To the northwest we find a second talayot with a sunken chamber in the upper section. Around this structure is a series of smaller attached walls that may correspond to the remains of Talayotic dwellings.
Walking around the talayot, we find in the outer wall a number of “huts”, or openings, whose purpose, whether military, production, or inhabitation, remains unknown.
Since 2016, the Modular Project has been carrying out archaeological interventions within the Son Catlar settlement. Their goal is to better define the military structures of the settlement’s outer wall, like its bastions, and its relationship to Punic architectural patterns. These tasks have allowed for the definition of their construction method (associated with the Punic cubit) and the documentation of a second entrance in the outer wall, although only its foundation remains.