Repositório RCAAP

The results obtained from the archaeological excavation carriecl out in 2017 and 2018 at Rua Marquês de Pombal, no. 3 to 7, in the Historic Center of Oeiras are presented. The results obtained show the richness and diversity of the occupations verified there, as well as the long diachrony of them, confirmed by the recovered archaeological remains. The oldest occupation, confirmed by structures with a straight plan and several estates, dates back to the end of the Republican Period, assuming continuity with the Early Imperial times. From this time onwards, it is a rare ivory-turned umbrella cable, unique in the Iberian Peninsula, which has been already published. At the end of this first phase of occupation, the roof of the building constructed there fell, which sealed the underlying deposits and constitutes an important chrono-stratigraphic element of reference. Over this layer of reference a lot of materials were recollected whose chronology extends to Late Antiquity, evidenced by Mediterranean imports, being represented by fine productions. Visigothic ceramic and metallic materials belong to the immediately following period, with emphasis on ceramic productions and a buckle, as well as scarce Islamic productions, of which, due to their rarity, a bone spinning tower must be mentioned. ln more modern times, from the Late Middle Ages to the Modern Times, several housing structures and characteristic estates belong, proving the continuous occupation of the same place until today, as it is usual in urban centers of early formation, like the case of Oeiras. However, until recently, little was known about the human presence in the urban area of Oeiras between the Roman and the Pombaline period (second half of the XVIII century): that's why this intervention, originated by the urban requalification of the Historic Center of Oeiras, constitutes an excellent opportunity to fill information gaps, in the sense of recovering the history of the site, and contributing to their present identity.

A synthesis of the research until now carried out at the remarkable cultural space Barcarena Gunpowder Factory is presented, from the time of the founding of the Ferrarias, in the time of D. João II (1487), until the definitive closure of the gunpowder complex, at the end of the 20th century (1988), five hundred years after.

86 páginas

Main goals of the Society of Archaeometry applied to Cultural Heritage (SAPaC) are described in this paper. It is also carried out a bibliometric analysis of the thirteen editions of the Archaeometry Congresses, four as a national congress and nine as an Iberian congress, which this society has promoted and held throughout the last 26 years. The 976 contributions presented up to now at these congresses include studies on biomaterials and palaeoenvironmental studies, dating, studies on lithic, ceramics, metals and glass materials, pigments, built heritage and conservation, studies on remote sensing and prospection, and analysis of 3D images. The results of the analysis confirm a high multidisciplinary component in the contributions, as well as a notable growth in collaborations between specialists from Portugal and Spain, which show a promising future for archeometric research in the Iberian community.

The archaeological site of Vila Nova de São Pedro, Lisbon region, is a Chalcolithic fortified settlement extensively excavated in the last century, being one of the best known settlements in the Iberian Peninsula with this chronology. Early Chalcolithic pottery is characterized by cylindrical cups with polished corrugated outer surface, while the so‑called acacia‑leaf decoration is usual in Full Chalcolithic pottery. The Late Chalcolithic corresponds to the Bell Beaker culture with a very characteristic pottery decoration. The objective of this work is the characterization of Chalcolithic ceramics from the Lisbon region in order to expand our knowledge of prehistoric ceramics and production techniques. 74 ceramic shards were analyzed (26 samples of cups with corrugated outer surface, 22 with acacia leaf decoration, and 26 from Beaker vessels). Textural analysis using Optical Microscopy of cross sections allowed to characterize pastes and inclusions. Chemical characterization was undertaken using Micro Energy Dispersive X‑ray Fluorescence Spectrometry in powder pellets. The elements Si, Al, Fe, Ca and K were identified and quantified as major elements, Ti and Mn as minor, and Ce, Sr, Zn, Cr, Rb, Co and Th as trace elements. Results suggest three different sources of raw material, two of them used for the Early Chalcolithic ceramics, one of these two continued in use for acacia‑leaf pottery, and the third source was used mainly for the production of Beaker ceramics. On the other hand, textural analysis shows that production techniques may have remained similar throughout all the Chalcolithic period.

Setefilla (Lora del Río, Seville) is an emblematic site for Spanish Protohistory historiography, as it represented a milestone for the study of the transition from the Bronze Age to the Orientalizing period in Western Andalusia (South‑Western Iberian Peninsula). This paper aims to present the preliminary results of the archaeometric analysis performed to ceramic materials from a stratigraphic sequence of the site. More concretely, the selected samples were found in the stratigraphic levels corresponding to the Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of the Sector 3 of Mesa de Setefilla (campaign 1979). The study has taken into consideration thin‑section petrographic analysis and X‑ray spectrometry, besides the more traditional morpho‑typological description, in order to outline the evolution of the compositional definition of the pottery of Mesa de Setefilla. It is the first time that the ceramic materials from this interesting context have been archaeometrically studied and interpreted from a diachronic perspective.

An archaeometric and acoustic study is combined for the first time in the research of Celtiberian pottery trumpets of late Iron Age (3rd – 1st centuries BC). Modern reproductions of such pottery trumpets were analyzed, as well as a set of fragments of original Numantian trumpets of archaeological provenance, with the aim of determining the acoustic properties of the former and their relationship with the modern and ancient ceramic material. The results suggest that they were not only used to produce noise and signals, as they have been traditionally interpreted, but also they could be used to reproduce simple melodies to play alone or accompanied by other instruments.

In 2016, in the municipality of Tomares (Seville), a set of 19 amphorae containing Roman coins (about 53 000) were accidentally found. According to the information obtained so far, the hoard is dated between 293 and 312 CE, which corresponds to the historical period known as Tetrarchy, and the coins that compose it come from the numerous mints that were active at that time, predominantly specimens produced in western mints. The coins are nummi that were manufactured using a quaternary alloy (Cu, Ag, Sn and Pb) with copper as the main element. All the mints have in common that the silver content is found to be higher in the oldest coins, decreasing until reaching the lowest values in coins minted between 308 and 312 CE. Tin content presents the opposite behaviour, except in the Aquileia and Ticinum mints where it shows slight variations.

The study of materials from Casa de Cantaber (p‑EDXRF and micro‑EDXRF), in Conimbriga, allows to contextualize the traces of metallurgical activity there known in the process of refining gold by liquidation. The context chronology (5th century AD) is presented; its implantation in the building is discussed; and the conclusions that can be drawn from it are presented.

We present a case study through the combined application of non‑invasive research techniques on the Roman rural site of Miramundo (Puerto Real, Cádiz). The results of the geophysical prospection with multichannel georadar are offered for the definition of the archaeological structure discovered, together with the results of a surface micro‑prospection with centimeter GPS over the location area of this Roman imperial building. The main objective is to advance, through the combination of both techniques, in the formulation of functional hypotheses about the documented constructive spaces, as part of the methodological development of Non‑Invasive Historical‑Archaeological Research.

The aims of the present work is to inform in two GPR geophysical surveys carried out in the subsoil of two Andalusian Renaissance churches with a bifrequency georradar GPR equipment, which have allowed to determine the existence of events possibly associated to the Christian burial world and modern/contemporary modifications. The detection in both churches of elements such as crypts and individual burials, as well as their disposition and location within the priority spaces of the period, confirm the effectiveness of the application of non‑invasive research techniques in the study of the building substrate in this type of construction. The work has also managed to identify possible structural reinforcements of pillars, extension works and/or modifications possibly undertaken in modern times, all of which are underground. The results of the geophysics of both cases allow us to conclude that there are multiple constructive similarities following their chronological parity and with the transformations that are carried out in the churches in modern times, a product of the customs and rites of the Christian world and the policies of rationalization of space. At the same time, the research has allowed a significant improvement in the establishment of the methodology for obtaining GPR data inside religious buildings, with the use of relative georeference systems and other auxiliary means. Consequently, the optimal performances, the appropriate GPR data densities for the correct obtaining of results and the advantages of the use of a bifrequency GPR system 200 MHz ‑ 600 MHz are defined.

The south of the Iberian Peninsula preserves an important group of sites with paleolithic art. Recently, the case of Las Ventanas Cave (Píñar, Granada) has been published. An interdisciplinary research has allowed to link the engravings with the Cantabrian cornice, corroborating a pre‑solutrean chronology. These engravings, in which the so‑called “trilineal deer” appear, have also been dated on 37 897‑30 913 cal BP. Within this study the work of Image Analysis has been a keystone. The documentation of the approximately 765 engravings was done using Structure from Motion software, which allowed the three‑dimensional documentation of the objects of interest. In addition, Image Analysis focused on Principal Components of bands RGB color space detected the presence of pigments linked to the engravings. The Image Analysis processes are confirmed of great importance in the study of heritage elements. They allow us to access new data that goes beyond what we can perceive with the naked eye, helping to detect areas of special interest on which to deep with other types of analytics that can yield physical‑chemical data.

Non‑invasive analyzes have been carried out by infrared photography, energy dispersive x‑ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and radiography on the table) commissioned by the University of Valencia “La Virgen de la Sapiencia” (by Nicolás Falcó, 1516). The radiographic study revealed the structure and details of the painting scheme, alterations to the paint, and a construction technique typical of the 16th century and the Valencian school, using pine wood and the characteristic interior reinforcement system. Infrared photography has been shown as a very useful tool for the study of the underlying drawing of the work and has allowed the detection of early intervention zones, mainly in repainted areas, cracks, losses, and what is more important from the historiographic point of view in this work, modifications in the initial concept that the artist had: the incorporation of the Child in the lap of the Virgin instead of the sun present in the preparatory drawing of the table. Finally, EDXRF analyses indicate that the tempera pigments are compatible with the palette available at the beginning of the 16th century.

434 páginas

Leceia is a large fortified chalcolithic site located west of Lisbon, in the municipality of Oeiras. It was excavated from 1983 to 2002 by J. L. Cardoso. The excavation revealed the existence of a Bell Beaker occupation with two huts located outside the fortification and with na occupation inside the walled area. Twenty-five Bell Beaker vases were subjected to thin section analysis. Of these, half come from the oldest domestic FM unit, two from the newer EN hut and the others come from inside the fortification. The results of the analyses indicate the exploitation of a large number of clays that can be grouped into two main families: clays of plutonic origin and clays of sedimentary origin. The distances from the places of exploitation range from a few kilometers to several tens of kilometers, which indicates the circulation of people over a vast geographical area. The series does not show any difference from a chronological point of view, nor from the typology of the ceramics. Finally, one third of the pastes contain grog, a classic temper for Bell Beaker ceramics in Western Europe.

Regarding the "crozier" collected at the beginning of the 20th century in Lapa da Galinha (Alcanena) which, due to its unique morphology, was valued by Manuel Heleno in the perspective of such similar pieces symbolically representing the polished stone axe, this and other alternatives are discussed, making comparisons with the known specimens, object of recent inventory work carried out by the author. It was concluded that the geographical distribution of these pieces is limited almost exclusively to the Portuguese territory and, especially, to Alto-Alentejo region, associated with the funerary megalithic monuments that exists there. Four distinct groups were identified and characterized, based on the typology of the decorative patterns and their organization. With the exception of the few specimens from the Atlantic domain, with particularities that are identified and described in this paper, the rest of the specimens are almost exclusively decorated on one side, which corresponds to the orientation of the "head" of the "crozier" to the left. This regularity was for the first time duly valued within the scope of the functional use of the prototypes, represented by these votive productions.

The reduction of the trading between Olisipo and the other cities of the Roman Empire forced a readjustment of the population of the ager Olisiponensis to an economy of subsistence. Located in the countryside along the old Roman road from Oeiras to Sintra, the villa of Clérigo is one of the regional examples of the profound social changes operated between the V century, an alternation verifiable through the traces of the cultural material left by the residents of that period.

We present the study of post-Roman remains exhumed in excavations carried out between 2000 and 2007 in the Historic Center of Oeiras, in the space previously occupied by a Roman villa famous, for the mosaic found there in 1903 and attributable to the 3rd century AD. The most important conclusion to highlight from this contribution, which follows the publication in 2020 of another archaeological set collected in a nearby location, was the confirmation of the continuous presence communities in that same space until the present day. In fact, remains from the High Middle Ages, the Islamic period, the Christian medieval period, the Modern Period and the Contemporary Period were identified. In this way, the continuity of the urban occupation of the town of Oeiras was demonstrated since the fall of the Roman Empire, a reality now proven through the archaeological works carried out by the Center for Archaeological Studies of the Municipality of Oeiras.

Until the middle of the 19th century no monuments attributed to prehistoric times were identified in Europe, given that the notion of Prehistory, associated with the antiquity of the human species, only emerged by then. Notwithstanding, some 120 years before Martinho de Mendonça de Pina e de Proença, from the Royal Academy of Portuguese History, had already reached some coherent conclusions regarding prehistoric monuments, despite lacking the scientific basis that could lead to their correct interpretation. His essay on dolmens, which was the subject of the lecture he gave at the Royal Academy on July 30, 1733, embodied, 300 years ago, a genuine desire to explain the observable reality in rational terms, rejecting ancient dogmas or beliefs of religious or profane nature. This is indeed one of the most relevant aspects of his contribution, as he sought to determine antiquity of dolmens on the basis of objective criteria. To this end, he valued both the biblical information and the empirical evidence he had observed.

Some complementary aspects of an important and well‑known scientific event of the 19th century, the so called “Conferência da Citânia” are presented. Firstly, the ups and downs of its preparation and the role of its promoters are discussed, with special emphasis on Martins Sarmento and Pereira Caldas. Secondly, the most famous participants are listed, identifying some aspects that justified the presence in this conference of some relevant figures of the archaeological research in Portugal; a particular attention to some guests who could not be present. Finally, mention is made to the echoes of the event in the press and to the balance of the conference, especially Sarmento’s more pessimistic perspective, as opposed to the vision of other participants.