A cromlech is a burial site for the incinerated remains of Euskal Herria inhabitants, probably shepherds from the first millennium before Christ.
The first thing to attract one’s attention in this range is, as J. Altuna already mentioned in 1997, the “sudden disappearance of cromlechs in the Leizaran Valley , that is, in the middle of the Basque Country”. They seem to be mainly linked to Vascons. Indeed, they are plentiful in the eastern part of the country ( Navarre Lower Navarre and eastern Gipuzkoa), including the Adarra mountain range. Whereas the following range, Uzturre – Ipuliño, doesn’t include any. When going to the West, there are but a few exceptional examples (Aralar and some in Biscay) that can confirm this rule.
The Adarra site includes a full cromlech circle with more than 50 orthostats or stones. Adarra also features a cromlech around a dolmen, like the one in Pozontarri.
In spite of the large-scale prospecting work carried out on this mountain range, started in the 50s by L. Peña Basurto and intensified in the 70s and 80s mainly by L. del Barrio, L. Millán, I. Gaztelu, J. Altuna and K. Mariezkurrena, several cromlechs have recently been found. L. Zaldua discovered the Amunola cromlech in 1995 in the place that bears its name. That same year I. Gaztelu found the Tximista cromlechs. The last cromlechs to be found in Adarra are located in Deskarga and were discovered by A. Gómez in 2001.
