Dolmens and menhirs are megalithic buildings present in various areas of the European, African and Asian continents. Such monuments are characterised by simple architecture and unrefined shapes and materials.

Dolmens are sepulchral rooms surrounded by stones inserted into the ground as walls, supporting a monolithic slab. Menhirs are composed of a single stone projecting vertically, shaped as a cylinder or parallelepiped and ranging between one and ten metres in height. Their function is believed to be related to burying, religious or celebration purposes, although no inscriptions or paintings are available.

Dolmen are sometimes covered with earth to form artificial hills and are often surrounded by other megaliths, unlike menhirs which were mainly found in isolation. Few but meaningful examples of dolmens were discovered in Puglia, whereas menhirs are very frequent and are called “buried stones”.