Marios Cleovoulou's Website
Home
Contact me

 
Text:  Larger
Smaller
Alqueva Dam
Alqueva Dam
Anta "Torrejona 1"
One of the Antas
Anta "Torrejona 1"

For seven weeks during August and September 2000 I participated in the rescue excavations of megalithic funerary monuments from the late-neolithic and chalcolithic periods (circa 5,000 years ago) in the Alentejo region of Portugal, working out of the small village of Campinho.

Portugal is in the process of building the Alqueva dam.  This will create Europe's largest artificial lake inundating some 250 square kilometres.  Amongst the many historical structures that will be submerged are several hundred Antas (dolmens).  These are prehistoric tombs made of a circle of large rocks placed on end with an entrance corridor on one side.  The structures were often bermed and always had a roof.

In order to save at least the information about these monuments there has been a large scale rescue archaeology project to excavate and record all that can be discovered about these structures.

Quartz cutting tool
Quartz tool

The project team that I was working with excavated three antas at two separate locations.  Mapping, drawing and recording stratigraphic profiles was an important part of this excavation.

Finds were limited and no bones were unearthed, probably due to the acidic nature of the soil.  The finds that were uncovered during my stay included a stone chisel, two flint blades, a slate bead and a slate funerary plaque, as well as several quartz cutting tools.  Four stone axe heads and some pieces of primitive pottery had been found prior to my arrival.

Also found, by myself, were two green stone beads, probably from a necklace.

Bead half excavated
Bead half excavated
Green stone beads
Beads

Marios Cleovoulou's Website
Home
Home
Contact me
Guestbook
Site Index
 
Text:  Larger
Smaller