They are considered to be good examples of the artificial necropolis used between the late Neolithic and the end of the Chalcolithic, with the same purpose as the Antas or dolmens that are found widely in Portugal, which followed the same burial traditions.

The site was first studied between 1876 and 1878 by António Mendes Correia and Agostinho Jose da Silva, under the supervision of Carlos Ribeiro.

Jewellery and pendants were also identified, with some in gold, as well as ceramics, including some from the bell beaker culture decorated with dotted or linear markings.

[2] One problem faced in improving knowledge of the site and its findings is that the items taken by the early archaeologists were not related to the location and context in which they were found.

The vases were shaped like an inverted bell, while the bowls found at the site and at the nearby Castro of Chibanes followed a distinctive decorative incision technique that has become known as the "Palmela type".

Items of personal adornment were made with shells, ivory, shark teeth, bone (including for buttons), lignite, and minerals.