Papers by Alexandra Gradim
Povoações Alcandoradas. Arquitetura e Paisagem. 2º Congresso Internacional Arquitetura Tradicional no Mediterrâneo Ocidental, Jul 1, 2021
Com o presente artigo, pretende-se fazer um balanço dos resultados dos trabalhos arqueológicos n... more Com o presente artigo, pretende-se fazer um balanço dos resultados dos trabalhos arqueológicos no edifício dos antigos CTT de Alcoutim, procurando beneficiar do conhecimento produzido pela arqueologia para a interpretação da história da arquitetura doméstica, considerando simultaneamente, e de modo integrado, os contributos do âmbito da arquitetura vernacular e da história documental. Para este propósito, é particularmente relevante, não apenas, a presença, nos níveis inferiores, da característica habitação corrente do período tardo-medieval / moderno, mas também de diferentes estruturas posteriores que permitem compreender os diversos momentos de transformação do conjunto edificado da parcela. O artigo é organizado em três partes distintas: numa primeira parte, são identificadas, de forma muito sintética, as evidências arqueológicas atualmente conhecidas que marcam a ocupação do território próximo de Alcoutim; numa segunda parte são descritas cronologicamente as diversas estruturas encontradas no contexto dos trabalhos arqueológicos, registando os temas de transformação da arquitetura corrente; e, numa terceira parte, conclusiva, o objeto específico dos trabalhos arqueológicos será interpretado à luz do conhecimento sobre a história da casa do Baixo Guadiana, através de um olhar necessariamente breve e preliminar.
Scientia Antiquitatis, 2019
Num período em que se discutem as boas práticas na gestão dos espólios arqueológicos e em que se ... more Num período em que se discutem as boas práticas na gestão dos espólios arqueológicos e em que se encontra em debate público o documento “Recomendações de boas práticas na gestão de espólios arqueológicos: recolha, selecção e descarte”, o Grupo de Arqueologia da Rede de Museus do Algarve apresenta um ponto de situação relativo aos espólios provenientes de intervenções arqueológicas realizadas na região.
Abstract
At a time when good practices in the management of archaeological
remains are being discussed and the document "Recomendações de
boas práticas na gestão de espólios arqueológicos: recolha, seleção e
descarte" is being discussed, the Grupo de Arqueologia da Rede de
Museus do Algarve presents a status report on the spoils coming from
archaeological interventions in the region.
Fortificaciones señoriales del suroeste ibérico: La huella documental, 2021
This article intends to be an exposition and reflection about the different
processes of function... more This article intends to be an exposition and reflection about the different
processes of functional transformation occurred in Alcoutim Castle during the seven
centuries of its existence, with a particular focus on the modern and contemporary
documentary analysis and arising from cultural heritage rehabilitation processes of
the last hundred years.
Arqueologia em Portugal 2020 - Estado da Questão, 2020
The aim of the present article is to divulge the main results of the archaeological works develop... more The aim of the present article is to divulge the main results of the archaeological works developed by the
Campo Arqueológico de Mértola team in a building known as the Antigos CTT, between August 2019 and
February 2020. This property is located to the west of Alcoutim Castle and inside its 17th century walls, being
an important archaeological site to understand the occupational dynamic of this urban area.
This intervention was performed in two distinct phases: diagnostic survey and archaeological monitoring /
excavation. These interventions led to the identification of an associated group of structures and layers that
point to a diachrony beginning in the 15th century.
C. Gaspar, H. Gimeno Pascual y N. Vicent Ramírez (coord.) Ambientes epigráficos y territorio: el Guadiana entre Bética y Lusitania, Lisboa-Alcalá de Henares, 2020
En este trabajo se presenta una reflexión sobre el carácter líquido de las
fronteras fluviales en... more En este trabajo se presenta una reflexión sobre el carácter líquido de las
fronteras fluviales en general, y del Guadiana en particular, así como el
consecuente debate sobre la permeabilidad de los espacios limítrofes y su
importancia, no como barreras infranqueables, sino como puntos de encuentro, transición y complicidad. Se analiza desde estos planteamientos
el poblamiento del Guadiana entre la Edad del Hierro y los primeros siglos
de la presencia romana, considerando el río como un eje vertebrador de
poblamiento. Asimismo, se discute el papel de los municipios en general,
y de la arqueología en particular, en la cooperación transfronteriza.
Arqueologia Medieval, 2018
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A importância da gestão da água em época rom... more Export this citationShare Download full-text PDF
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A importância da gestão da água em época romana – o exemplo da barragem do Álamo em Alcoutim
Article (PDF Available) · May 2018 with 4 Reads
Export this citation
Joao Cardoso
Universidade Aberta
Alexandra Gradim
Abstract
Water was one of the key resources exploited by the Romans for a variety of purposes, from the public water supply, to irrigation. ln this context, the dams are one of the most expressive examples of the use of water resources, illustrating the high level reached by roman engineers and architects in the design and construction of such endeavors. The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory. The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
Arqueologia Medieval 14, 2018
Water was one of the key resources exploited by the Romans for a variety of purposes, from the pu... more Water was one of the key resources exploited by the Romans for a variety of purposes, from the public water supply, to irrigation. In this context, the dams are one of the most expressive examples of the use of water resources, illustrating the high level reached by roman engineers and architects in the design and construction of such endeavors.
The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory.
The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50 m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
The late Republican structures (so-called ‘casas fuertes’, ‘castella’, ‘fortins’ or ‘recintos-tor... more The late Republican structures (so-called ‘casas fuertes’, ‘castella’, ‘fortins’ or ‘recintos-torres’) presented here are mere examples
from a large number of similar building complexes whose distribution concentrates in different groups in modern Portugal
mainly in the Upper and southern Lower Alentejo. One of the oldest and best known is the Castelo da Lousa (Mourão), which was
the first one to be properly excavated on Portuguese soil and as such plays a key role in understanding comparable complexes.
A cooperative project run by the Universities of Frankfurt and Innsbruck as well as the local authority in Alcoutim is currently
excavating one of these structures at Castelinho dos Mouros, which is comparable to the Castelo da Lousa in terms of its geographical
situation and perhaps chronology, while its architecture is somewhat different.
At the Castelo da Lousa and its surrounding area settlement activity seems to have finished in the Augustan period, but the
situation at the Castelinho dos Mouros could be quite different. Within eyeshot of the Castelinho dos Mouros lies the Montinho
das Laranjeiras site. This Roman villa dates to the (probable) final period of the Castelinho dos Mouros and suggests settlement
continuity while at the same time the settlement type was modified.
Unlike in the southern Lower Alentejo, along the Guadiana River there are traces of huge Roman villas beside the known ‘castella’.
On the coastline and in the valley of the navigable part of the Guadiana up to Myrtilis (Mertola), as a natural access route to
the hinterland, the special economic and infrastructural background made the existence of large villas possible.
By producing agricultural goods, the ‘casas fuertes’ probably played partly a similar role to the later much more widespread
villae. As cramped buildings often built on topographical extremities, these structures did not survive the new architectural and
economic demands of the C1st AD, which tended more or less toward centralised agricultural surplus production and access to
new transport infrastructure.
Sobre os resultados das escavações deste importante monumento calcolítico, publicaram-se já dois ... more Sobre os resultados das escavações deste importante monumento calcolítico, publicaram-se já dois trabalhos: o primeiro, destinou-se a dar a conhecer os principais resultados obtidos, incidindo especialmente sobre a arquitectura do sepulcro e considerações genéricas sobre a natureza de pelo menos uma inumação nele realizada, no Bronze Final / I Idade do Ferro, apresentado em 2003 ao 2.º Encontro de Arqueologia do Algarve, (Cardoso & Gradim, 2005). Este último aspecto, incluindo a publicação do espólio cerâmico que àquela ou àquelas pôde ser reportado, foi desenvolvido em estudo próprio, publicado por um de nós (J. L. C.) no volume de homenagem ao Professor Jorge de Alarcão (Cardoso, 2004). Faltava, no entanto, publicar o espólio calcolítico exumado, ainda totalmente inédito, bem como concluir a publicação dos materiais relacionados com a ocupação mais moderna do monumento. O presente trabalho destina-se a satisfazer aquele objectivo, apresentando e actualizando a discussão e as conclusões de tudo quanto até agora dele se publicou.
The megalithic group of Lavajo (Parish of Afonso Vicente, municipality of Alcoutim) comprises two... more The megalithic group of Lavajo (Parish of Afonso Vicente, municipality of Alcoutim) comprises two intervisible nuclei (Lavajo I and Lavajo II), that are about 250 m apart in a NNE-SSW direction, separated by the small valley (gully) of Lavajo. These megalithic monuments of the Late Neolithic or the Early Chalcolithic (3500-2800 BC) may be interpreted as territorial markers and markers of spaces that are sacralised by their very existence.
Full version of published article (Boletim Municipal, July 2016), describing the work done in the... more Full version of published article (Boletim Municipal, July 2016), describing the work done in the municipality of Alcoutim, in the area of archaeology, over the last two decades.
Res Antiquae, nº11, pp.119-120, 2014
Despite being outside the Mediterranean basin, southern Lusitania is still near enough to have be... more Despite being outside the Mediterranean basin, southern Lusitania is still near enough to have been influenced by its trade networks throughout Antiquity. From the 4th century onwards, North African goods become more and more visible archaeologically in region. The rural territory of Alcoutim (Algarve, Portugal) has yielded African Red Slip Ware and African Cooking Ware, and –much more scarcely– Phocaean Red Slip Ware, which make up the sole indications of Late Antique commercial ties between the Mediterranean and southern Lusitania. Using Alcoutim as a case-study, the present essay sets out to understand the disintegration of Mediterranean trade networks that supplied rural sites of the region by comparing the frequency of North African and Phocaean imports of the Later Empire and Late Antiquity.
4th IWA International Syposium on Water and Wastewater Tecnologies in Ancient Civilizations, Sep 2016
The remarkable Roman Álamo Dam identified by Estácio da Veiga in 1877 was investigated between 20... more The remarkable Roman Álamo Dam identified by Estácio da Veiga in 1877 was investigated between 2006 and 2007 by a team directed by the first author and with ongoing participation of the second. The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam allowed showing the remarkable height of the construction, currently partially buried in the sediments accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. The remains contained several fragments of amphorae whose typological characterization suggests that the structure would functioned at least between the 3rd and the 5th centuries d.C., although over the past years it has been already completely silted, thus constituting one swampy zone to where they would be thrown objects no longer in use, including the fragments of more modern amphorae. Regarding this issue, it is noteworthy that this will be the first work of this kind performed in Portugal.
Portvgalia, 2016
Study of the medieval sigilar matrix of Martin Abarca, a noble man of Castilian origin. The sigil... more Study of the medieval sigilar matrix of Martin Abarca, a noble man of Castilian origin. The sigilar matrix is attributable to the second half of the 13th century or the first decades of the 14th century. It appeared in a private property in the historic center of Tavira, near the Muslim walls
and the Christian castle.
Neste trabalho apresenta-se o resultado das escavações realizadas respectivamente em 1998 e em 20... more Neste trabalho apresenta-se o resultado das escavações realizadas respectivamente em 1998 e em 2001 nos núcleos de menires de Lavajo 1 e de Lavajo 2, distanciados cerca de 250 m na direcção NNE e separados pelo pequeno vale do Lavajo bem como dos trabalhos de protecção, recuperação e valorização efectuados sobretudo no núcleo mais importante (Lavajo 1). Os locais, pelo menos actualmente, são intervisíveis, graças à implantação destacada no terreno: o núcleo de Lavajo 1 situa-se no topo de colina enquanto Lavajo 2 ocupa a linha de festo de uma encosta, conferindo ao local visibilidade tanto do lado sul como do lado norte. O conjunto de Lavajo 1 é constituído actualmente por três monólitos, todos de grauvaque: um, quase inteiro, de tendência fálica, é actualmente o maior menir de grauvaque conhecido em território português, atingindo o comprimento máximo de 3,14 m; outro, quase completo, fragmentado em três grandes blocos, possui formato estelar; o restante apresenta-se muito incompleto, dele se consevando apenas uma lasca da sua face frontal. É crível, no entanto, que pudessem existir mais monólitos, tendo em conta os abundantes fragmentos de grauvaque ali observados, quase todos com fracturas frescas. Todos os menires de Lavajo 1 se apresentam decorados, com destaque para o maior deles, o qual exibe complexa decoração estreitamente relacionada com a morfologia do suporte lítico, de carácter fálico. Apenas para este foi possível determinar o local de implantação, correspondente a um alvéolo de planta circular e fundo aplanado, parcialmente danificado pelos trabalhos realizados em 1994, que conduziram ao seu reerguimento, infelizmente feito de forma descuidada, tendo até sido colocado no terreno em posição invertida. Seja como for, na zona culminante daquele pequeno cabeço, implantaram-se três menires decorados, os quais não podem ser vistos isoladamente, já que se articulariam directamente com o conjunto de Lavajo 2, que se avista ao longe, do outro lado do pequeno vale do Lavajo e na linha de festo da encosta, da qual ocupa a partemédia. Neste segundo local, identificaram-se quatro estelas-menir não decoradas, todas de grauvaque, das quais apenas uma, representada por fragmento de pequenas dimensões, se encontrava in situ. Foi, no entanto, possível reconstituir a posição relativa das restantes, através da escavação integral do respecivo alvéolo, correspondente a rasgo alongado, orientado Este-Oeste, aberto no substrato geológico, constituído por xistos do Carbónico Superior finamente folheados. Deste modo, é de concluir que as estelasmenir se dispunham em linha, constituindo um painel lítico contínuo. No interior do alvéolo, recolheram-se diversos artefactos ali ritualmente depositados aquando da fundação do monumento, cuja tipologia indica o Neolítico Final, cronologia aliás compatível com a do conjunto megalítico de Lavajo 1, tendo presente a iconografia patente nos menires. Muito embora não se conheça ainda suficientemente o padrão de povoamento da região no Neolítico Final, estes dois núcleos megalíticos podem ter interpretados como marcadores de territórios e/ou de espaços sagrados, sendo de destacar a existência, durante todo o ano, de água nas proximidades imediatas, recurso escasso e precioso, que propiciaria a horticultura. Por outro lado, a natureza das matérias-primas utilizadas na confecção dos artefactos encontrados (sílex, anfibolito), para além de outros materiais de circulação transregional muito mais alargada (fibrolite), evidencia a forte interacção destas populações tanto com o interior do Baixo Alentejo (Zona de Ossa/Morena), como com o litoral algarvio ou andaluz, compatível com estádio de desenvolvimento económico do final do Neolítico do sul peninsular, atingido na segunda metade do IV milénio a.C.
Numa vasta região, correspondente a todo o sotavento algarvio, onde o megalitismo não funerário era até agora totalmente desconhecido, os testemunhos ora estudados constituem, doravante, uma das expressões mais interessantes e significativas, cuja relevância se impõe numa área muito mais vasta, correspondente a todo o Sudoeste peninsular.
La Gestación de los Paisajes Rurales entre la Protohistoria y el Período Romano. Formas de asentamiento y procesos de implantación
Abstarct
The building of type «castellum» along the right bank of the Guadiana river in Alcoutim'... more Abstarct
The building of type «castellum» along the right bank of the Guadiana river in Alcoutim's municipality, detected by Manuel Maia during the 70s decade of the 2oth century, led to the creation of an international research project in 2008 and 2011 gave the opportunity to identify a Republican Roman site consisting of a central building of remarkable size (around 230m2) and built in a symmetric configuration.
In the Republican fortification, which includes also auxiliary exterior structures, a set of ceramic materials was excavated, that points to the moment of the construction that could make it one of the earliest examples of this type in the West of the Iberian Peninsula.
Some of its original architectural solutions, its strategic position alongside the navigable Ana (Guadiana river) and its continuity relation with the neighboring Roman villa of Laranjeiras, provide interesting datas for the discussion in the context of the «castella» from the Atlantic West of Iberian Peninsula for the period that predates the founding of the Lusitanian province at the time of Emperor Augustus.
Preliminary results of the geophysical survey of two archaeological sites in the municipality of ... more Preliminary results of the geophysical survey of two archaeological sites in the municipality of Alcoutim, which tested, for the first time, the use of this technique to collect further information regarding the local Archaeological Map.
The survey identified areas of strong archaeological potential, with probable remains of underground walls and hidden combustion structures. These results make it possible to manage the limits of the site protection areas and to guide future archaeological research.
Since the creation of the local department of archaeology, at the end of 1996, one of the priorit... more Since the creation of the local department of archaeology, at the end of 1996, one of the priorities in this council’s structure is the promotion of the culture heritage in Alcoutim’s county. With the financial help of European Community, the Municipal Council of Alcoutim started several projects of preservation, and display in a chosen group of archaeological sites.
The presentation introduces the development of the different stages in the archaeological projects. A group of sites have been chosen to integrate the archaeological itinerary of this region.
After an appraisal of the reasons of Estácio da Veiga for the archeological research program in t... more After an appraisal of the reasons of Estácio da Veiga for the archeological research program in the Algarve region, as well as the method used by this researcher, the collections obtained in the area of Alcoutim are reviewed, related to the documentation now being published, which is located in the Municipal Archive of Alcoutim and the Archive of Estácio da Veiga in the National Museum of Archeology and with several studies more recently published.
This study shows in a preliminary form the results of the excavations on the tholos of Cerro do M... more This study shows in a preliminary form the results of the excavations on the tholos of Cerro do Malhanito (Alcoutim) performed in August and September 2002, under the supervision of the first author. We characterize the architecture of the monument and the archaeological and anthropological findings, whose detailed analysis will be done in a later work. Comparisons are made with similar monuments from southern Portugal, namely those that show reutilization in the Bronze or lron Age, as was the studied monument.
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Papers by Alexandra Gradim
Abstract
At a time when good practices in the management of archaeological
remains are being discussed and the document "Recomendações de
boas práticas na gestão de espólios arqueológicos: recolha, seleção e
descarte" is being discussed, the Grupo de Arqueologia da Rede de
Museus do Algarve presents a status report on the spoils coming from
archaeological interventions in the region.
processes of functional transformation occurred in Alcoutim Castle during the seven
centuries of its existence, with a particular focus on the modern and contemporary
documentary analysis and arising from cultural heritage rehabilitation processes of
the last hundred years.
Campo Arqueológico de Mértola team in a building known as the Antigos CTT, between August 2019 and
February 2020. This property is located to the west of Alcoutim Castle and inside its 17th century walls, being
an important archaeological site to understand the occupational dynamic of this urban area.
This intervention was performed in two distinct phases: diagnostic survey and archaeological monitoring /
excavation. These interventions led to the identification of an associated group of structures and layers that
point to a diachrony beginning in the 15th century.
fronteras fluviales en general, y del Guadiana en particular, así como el
consecuente debate sobre la permeabilidad de los espacios limítrofes y su
importancia, no como barreras infranqueables, sino como puntos de encuentro, transición y complicidad. Se analiza desde estos planteamientos
el poblamiento del Guadiana entre la Edad del Hierro y los primeros siglos
de la presencia romana, considerando el río como un eje vertebrador de
poblamiento. Asimismo, se discute el papel de los municipios en general,
y de la arqueología en particular, en la cooperación transfronteriza.
Ad
A importância da gestão da água em época romana – o exemplo da barragem do Álamo em Alcoutim
Article (PDF Available) · May 2018 with 4 Reads
Export this citation
Joao Cardoso
Universidade Aberta
Alexandra Gradim
Abstract
Water was one of the key resources exploited by the Romans for a variety of purposes, from the public water supply, to irrigation. ln this context, the dams are one of the most expressive examples of the use of water resources, illustrating the high level reached by roman engineers and architects in the design and construction of such endeavors. The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory. The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory.
The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50 m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
from a large number of similar building complexes whose distribution concentrates in different groups in modern Portugal
mainly in the Upper and southern Lower Alentejo. One of the oldest and best known is the Castelo da Lousa (Mourão), which was
the first one to be properly excavated on Portuguese soil and as such plays a key role in understanding comparable complexes.
A cooperative project run by the Universities of Frankfurt and Innsbruck as well as the local authority in Alcoutim is currently
excavating one of these structures at Castelinho dos Mouros, which is comparable to the Castelo da Lousa in terms of its geographical
situation and perhaps chronology, while its architecture is somewhat different.
At the Castelo da Lousa and its surrounding area settlement activity seems to have finished in the Augustan period, but the
situation at the Castelinho dos Mouros could be quite different. Within eyeshot of the Castelinho dos Mouros lies the Montinho
das Laranjeiras site. This Roman villa dates to the (probable) final period of the Castelinho dos Mouros and suggests settlement
continuity while at the same time the settlement type was modified.
Unlike in the southern Lower Alentejo, along the Guadiana River there are traces of huge Roman villas beside the known ‘castella’.
On the coastline and in the valley of the navigable part of the Guadiana up to Myrtilis (Mertola), as a natural access route to
the hinterland, the special economic and infrastructural background made the existence of large villas possible.
By producing agricultural goods, the ‘casas fuertes’ probably played partly a similar role to the later much more widespread
villae. As cramped buildings often built on topographical extremities, these structures did not survive the new architectural and
economic demands of the C1st AD, which tended more or less toward centralised agricultural surplus production and access to
new transport infrastructure.
and the Christian castle.
Numa vasta região, correspondente a todo o sotavento algarvio, onde o megalitismo não funerário era até agora totalmente desconhecido, os testemunhos ora estudados constituem, doravante, uma das expressões mais interessantes e significativas, cuja relevância se impõe numa área muito mais vasta, correspondente a todo o Sudoeste peninsular.
The building of type «castellum» along the right bank of the Guadiana river in Alcoutim's municipality, detected by Manuel Maia during the 70s decade of the 2oth century, led to the creation of an international research project in 2008 and 2011 gave the opportunity to identify a Republican Roman site consisting of a central building of remarkable size (around 230m2) and built in a symmetric configuration.
In the Republican fortification, which includes also auxiliary exterior structures, a set of ceramic materials was excavated, that points to the moment of the construction that could make it one of the earliest examples of this type in the West of the Iberian Peninsula.
Some of its original architectural solutions, its strategic position alongside the navigable Ana (Guadiana river) and its continuity relation with the neighboring Roman villa of Laranjeiras, provide interesting datas for the discussion in the context of the «castella» from the Atlantic West of Iberian Peninsula for the period that predates the founding of the Lusitanian province at the time of Emperor Augustus.
The survey identified areas of strong archaeological potential, with probable remains of underground walls and hidden combustion structures. These results make it possible to manage the limits of the site protection areas and to guide future archaeological research.
The presentation introduces the development of the different stages in the archaeological projects. A group of sites have been chosen to integrate the archaeological itinerary of this region.
Abstract
At a time when good practices in the management of archaeological
remains are being discussed and the document "Recomendações de
boas práticas na gestão de espólios arqueológicos: recolha, seleção e
descarte" is being discussed, the Grupo de Arqueologia da Rede de
Museus do Algarve presents a status report on the spoils coming from
archaeological interventions in the region.
processes of functional transformation occurred in Alcoutim Castle during the seven
centuries of its existence, with a particular focus on the modern and contemporary
documentary analysis and arising from cultural heritage rehabilitation processes of
the last hundred years.
Campo Arqueológico de Mértola team in a building known as the Antigos CTT, between August 2019 and
February 2020. This property is located to the west of Alcoutim Castle and inside its 17th century walls, being
an important archaeological site to understand the occupational dynamic of this urban area.
This intervention was performed in two distinct phases: diagnostic survey and archaeological monitoring /
excavation. These interventions led to the identification of an associated group of structures and layers that
point to a diachrony beginning in the 15th century.
fronteras fluviales en general, y del Guadiana en particular, así como el
consecuente debate sobre la permeabilidad de los espacios limítrofes y su
importancia, no como barreras infranqueables, sino como puntos de encuentro, transición y complicidad. Se analiza desde estos planteamientos
el poblamiento del Guadiana entre la Edad del Hierro y los primeros siglos
de la presencia romana, considerando el río como un eje vertebrador de
poblamiento. Asimismo, se discute el papel de los municipios en general,
y de la arqueología en particular, en la cooperación transfronteriza.
Ad
A importância da gestão da água em época romana – o exemplo da barragem do Álamo em Alcoutim
Article (PDF Available) · May 2018 with 4 Reads
Export this citation
Joao Cardoso
Universidade Aberta
Alexandra Gradim
Abstract
Water was one of the key resources exploited by the Romans for a variety of purposes, from the public water supply, to irrigation. ln this context, the dams are one of the most expressive examples of the use of water resources, illustrating the high level reached by roman engineers and architects in the design and construction of such endeavors. The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory. The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
The archaeological research carried out at the Roman dam of Álamo (Alcoutim), in the years 2006 and 2007, 129 years after the first graphic records, made in 1877 under the coordination of Estácio da Veiga, highlighted this work as one of the most important of the Portuguese territory.
The archaeological works performed close to the upstream wall of the dam, built in opus incertum over a length of about 50 m, constituted pioneering work of this nature carried out in Portugal and were decisive for the identification of the structural characteristics of the dam, as well as the chronology of its functioning, through the typology of the archaeological remains recovered in deposits accumulated at the bottom of the old reservoir. With the so-called Olisipo dam, constitutes the most higher masonry dam with buttresses until now identified in the Roman world.
from a large number of similar building complexes whose distribution concentrates in different groups in modern Portugal
mainly in the Upper and southern Lower Alentejo. One of the oldest and best known is the Castelo da Lousa (Mourão), which was
the first one to be properly excavated on Portuguese soil and as such plays a key role in understanding comparable complexes.
A cooperative project run by the Universities of Frankfurt and Innsbruck as well as the local authority in Alcoutim is currently
excavating one of these structures at Castelinho dos Mouros, which is comparable to the Castelo da Lousa in terms of its geographical
situation and perhaps chronology, while its architecture is somewhat different.
At the Castelo da Lousa and its surrounding area settlement activity seems to have finished in the Augustan period, but the
situation at the Castelinho dos Mouros could be quite different. Within eyeshot of the Castelinho dos Mouros lies the Montinho
das Laranjeiras site. This Roman villa dates to the (probable) final period of the Castelinho dos Mouros and suggests settlement
continuity while at the same time the settlement type was modified.
Unlike in the southern Lower Alentejo, along the Guadiana River there are traces of huge Roman villas beside the known ‘castella’.
On the coastline and in the valley of the navigable part of the Guadiana up to Myrtilis (Mertola), as a natural access route to
the hinterland, the special economic and infrastructural background made the existence of large villas possible.
By producing agricultural goods, the ‘casas fuertes’ probably played partly a similar role to the later much more widespread
villae. As cramped buildings often built on topographical extremities, these structures did not survive the new architectural and
economic demands of the C1st AD, which tended more or less toward centralised agricultural surplus production and access to
new transport infrastructure.
and the Christian castle.
Numa vasta região, correspondente a todo o sotavento algarvio, onde o megalitismo não funerário era até agora totalmente desconhecido, os testemunhos ora estudados constituem, doravante, uma das expressões mais interessantes e significativas, cuja relevância se impõe numa área muito mais vasta, correspondente a todo o Sudoeste peninsular.
The building of type «castellum» along the right bank of the Guadiana river in Alcoutim's municipality, detected by Manuel Maia during the 70s decade of the 2oth century, led to the creation of an international research project in 2008 and 2011 gave the opportunity to identify a Republican Roman site consisting of a central building of remarkable size (around 230m2) and built in a symmetric configuration.
In the Republican fortification, which includes also auxiliary exterior structures, a set of ceramic materials was excavated, that points to the moment of the construction that could make it one of the earliest examples of this type in the West of the Iberian Peninsula.
Some of its original architectural solutions, its strategic position alongside the navigable Ana (Guadiana river) and its continuity relation with the neighboring Roman villa of Laranjeiras, provide interesting datas for the discussion in the context of the «castella» from the Atlantic West of Iberian Peninsula for the period that predates the founding of the Lusitanian province at the time of Emperor Augustus.
The survey identified areas of strong archaeological potential, with probable remains of underground walls and hidden combustion structures. These results make it possible to manage the limits of the site protection areas and to guide future archaeological research.
The presentation introduces the development of the different stages in the archaeological projects. A group of sites have been chosen to integrate the archaeological itinerary of this region.
The territory focus area cover all the countries administered by Portugal during the conflict period (1961-1974), encompassing not only the African countries, where the armed clashes were stronger and enduring, but also in the Asian continent (Indian, Macau and Timor), that although they almost did not have war scenes, they did have local increased deployment of troops as a precautionary measure.
Resumo:
Esta ”visão preliminar” da presença dos jovens alcoutenejos na guerra colonial (1961 e 1974) é uma primeira abordagem realizada no âmbito da homenagem prestada pela autarquia aos combatentes do “ex-ultramar”, em 2017.
O território em foco abarcou todos os países administrados por Portugal no período do conflito bélico (1961-1974), abrangendo não só os países do continente africano, onde os confrontos para além de mais intensos se prolongaram no tempo, mas igualmente os do continente asiático (Índia, Macau e Timor), que apesar de quase não terem tido cenários de guerra, viram reforçados os seus contingentes militares locais, como medida preventiva.
O início desta colaboração começou em Setembro de 1998, com a realização de escavações no notável menir do Lavajo situado perto do monte de Afonso Vicente, o qual recebeu a designação do topónimo mais próximo. A intervenção, sob orientação científica do primeiro signatário, contou com o apoio da Câmara Municipal de Alcoutim, nela participando activamente a segunda signatária desta obra, que, pouco tempo antes, havia sido nomeada arqueóloga da Câmara Municipal de Alcoutim.
Alongside the chalcolithic, republican-roman and Islamic cases the materialization of the village and its territory in the medieval national area, where it assumed is strategic nature as a border space and its evolution at modern age to current days.
The development of the local department of archaeology embraces the investigation, preservation, evaluation, display and explanation of the sites within the area for the local community and visitors.
The development of the local department of archaeology embraces the investigation, preservation, evaluation, display and explanation of the sites within the area for the local community and visitors.
The reconnaissance of the extensive and rich territory, of Alcoutim, has provided an archaeological inventory, which led us to the progressive study of the scientific and historical knowledge of the area that constitutes the district of Alcoutim today.
The preservation of the evidence of the past has in the present, the clear intention to make the management of the patrimonial richness a tourist potential, and another step toward economic development, in which the display plays an important role in the evaluation, sensitisation and promotion of Cultural Heritage, particularly in its history, architecture and nature. This preservation will be a fundamental factor for the success of the tourist activities in the region, together with other endogenous resources.