Der Name des bedeutendsten steinzeitlichen Baudenkmals der Iberischen Halbinsel

Abstract

Starting from the analysis of numerous similar place names, on the one hand, and, on the other, of a large volume of documentation on archaeological sites and local traditions, this study explains the name of the most important megalithic monument on the Iberian Peninsula, [Cueva de] Menga (Antequera, province of Malaga). The name is based on an anthroponym which denoted a mythical female creature, to whom the Castilian settlers that had arrived in the late Middle Ages attributed the construction of dolmens. This constitutes an onomastic mechanism based on popular traditions spread over large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, and even over large parts of Europe.