Copper Age site at Castanheiro do Vento- Portugal
Dates: TBC
Number of UK Participants: TBC
Duration: TBC
Surrounded by a diverse and significant number of archaeological sites, which notably includes the Palaeolithic open air engravings of the Côa River Valley UNESCO Heritage Site, is the site of Castanheiro do Vento (chestnut tree). Castanheiro do Vento has a complex stone architecture and was built from the Chalcolithic to the Bronze Age. This kind of architecture is, in particular, characteristic for the Iberian Peninsula and Southern France, and has been the object of investigations by several archaeological schools over a number of years.
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By 1990, one group of Portuguese archaeologists from the University of Porto and the Cultural Association (ACDR) of Freixo de Numão reawakened interest in this matter by introducing different field methods and the manner in which data coming from the digs was interpreted. The problematic of the complex stone architecture dating from the third to second millennium BC, however, is far from conclusive in its interpretation. This group of archaeologists has entered into an ongoing dialogue with many other researchers around the world, comparing this regional investigation with European prehistoric architecture within an international network. Today Castanheiro do Vento is one of the most important sites in Iberia and throughout Western Europe for the study of this theme.
The site
Vítor Oliveira Jorge and João Muralha Cardoso started a research
project based on the diggings at the prehistoric site of Castanheiro do
Vento in 1998. Now the team accounts also with Ana Vale, Gonçalo
Leite Velho, Bárbara Carvalho e Sérgio Gomes.
The excavations allowed the identification of three concentric
walls intercepted by the so called "bastions" (semi-circular structures)
and several entrances. This kind of sites is usually interpreted in the
Iberian Peninsula as fortified settlements. However the research undertaken
at Castanheiro do Vento as well as at Castelo Velho (a similar place located
at 11 kilometres from Castanheiro do Vento and studied by Susana Oliveira
Jorge, University of Porto) has been questioning this approach. We think
that Castanheiro do Vento was not built due to conflicts during the 3rd
millennium B.C. but it enables other connexions, such as monument, memory,
performance, landscape, territory, place, and image. We propose to see Castanheiro
do Vento as a meeting point where several temporalities and materials were
(and are) placed together.
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Placement for 2011
Grampus Heritage are pleased to continue working with the University of Porto and ACDR, in offering UK undergraduate students the chance to participate in the excavation at Castanheiro do Vento for the third year running. This placement is for the duration of five weeks. The Leonardo da Vinci funding available for these placements will cover travel (return travel from main UK airport), insurance, subsistence allowance (equal to three meals a day) and accommodation.
This is an open air excavation located on the top of a hill with easy access (the large area being studied is not protected from sun or rain, etc). On-site, there is a small tools shed which provides basic logistic support to the excavation. The excavation team will be accommodated at housing owned by ACDR in the village of Freixo de Numão and transported daily to and from the excavation site (approximately 20 minutes drive). Participants will also have the opportunity to work in post-excavation at the local museum of Freixo de Numão (Prehistoric section) in a rotation system. This will involve; washing, marking and storing recovered arefacts from the site.
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Excursions
During the weekends it is possible to visit the Museum of Casa Grande and
the archaeological sites of Castelo Velho de Freixo de Numão (Copper
Age) and Prazo (Neolithic, Roman, Medieval). All the participants could
also take part on a visit to the Paleolithic open air engravings of the
Côa river valley, worldly famous (UNESCO mankind Heritage).
Accommodation
You will be staying in ensuite shared bedrooms at Freixo De Numão's
village (provided by a local association: Associação Cultural
Desportiva e Recreativa de Freixo de Numão), which has washing machine
facilities. There is also an ATM in the village.
Food
You will get three daily hot meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner in ACDR
canteen). Breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays are not included. We will provide
you drinkable mineral water in individual bottles of 1.5 litres (each day).
Daily Timetable
8am: Breakfast at Freixo
9am-13pm: Morning period of work
13pm-15pm: Lunch (hot meal served in Freixo)
15:30pm-18pm- Evening period of work
Please bring clothes for all kinds of weather, including rain; bag, camping bottle and solar protection cream; do not forget your sleeping bag.
For more information about the site and the project see: http://www.architectures.home.sapo.pt
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NOTE: Participants on all of our placements will now require a European Health Insurance CARD (EHIC). CLICK HERE to visit the external website and apply for your EHIC online. |
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Middle Age Period |
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Copper Age |
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Stone Age |
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Bronze-Age |
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Roman Excavations |
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Germany
Medieval |
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Etruscan
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Medieval Fortress
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Early Christian Basilica
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