Navetes

Navetes, or navetas in Catalan, are a class of megalithic chamber tombs built during the Late Bronze Age in the Balearic Islands of Spain, especially Menorca and Mallorca. The name derives from the Catalan word for a small ship, reflecting the boat-like silhouette of the above-ground mound that covers the tomb.

Architecturally, navetes consist of a stone-built burial chamber or a series of chambers accessed by a short passage, all enclosed beneath a raised earth or rubble mound. The entrance is typically marked by a pair of upright stones forming a doorway, and the interior roof is formed by large horizontal slabs or corbelled arrangements, producing a vaulted space. The overall profile resembles a hull or boat.

Dating and use are based on stylistic analysis and radiocarbon dating, placing most examples roughly between 1200 and 750 BCE. Navetes were used as communal tombs by extended kin groups and often show evidence of repeated burials across generations, sometimes with accompanying grave goods—a sign of ritual importance and social memory.

Geographically, navetes are a distinctive feature of Balearic Bronze Age archaeology, with numerous sites in Menorca and Mallorca. They are among the region’s earliest monumental monuments and provide insight into prehistoric ritual practices, social organization, and mortuary behavior. Many navetes are protected as archaeological monuments; some are accessible to the public at specific sites, including the well-known Naveta d’Es Tudons on Menorca.