0274 - Cremation contexts of Perdigões enclosure

Data and problems raised by the contexts with remains of human cremations will be presented next December, 15, in Lisbon (Sociedade de Geografia).

0273 - Conference in Kiel

(Drwaing by Guida Casela)

Next Monday I will be in Kiel (Germany) to participate in a master with a conference about portuguese ditched enclosures.

Here is the abstract:

The research of ditched enclosures in the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic is a relatively recent development in Portuguese Recent Prehistory. In the last two decades a significant number of these complex sites were reveled, showing different architectures, topographical locations and dimensions. Recent research started to demonstrate the importance of these enclosures to the construction of Neolithic meaningful landscapes.

In this lecture a synthesis of the available data on chronology, temporality, architecture and design, dimensions, landscape relations and social practices that took place in the enclosures (with particular emphases in funerary ones) will be presented, and the possible social roles of these places will be discussed in the light of a large scale phenomenon.

The presentation will focus particularly in the hinterland of the province of Alentejo, South Portugal. 

0272 – Paper on Coelheira 2

These are images of one of the two “twin” (?) enclosures of Coelheira 2 (Beja district). 

The site was partially excavated by Omniknos company (field direction of Rui Ramos) in the context of mitigating Archaeology. The data is now under study and a publication will be out soon. This is a very interesting site, with some new and specific characteristics, that deserved a more thoughtful approach by those that define what is “mitigating” negative impacts in archaeological sites.