0347 - Remembering Moreiros.

Moreiros 2 is a set of ditched and probably palisade enclosures dating from the 4^th millennium BC (but possibly also from the 3^rd). Basically is still to be excavated. Only some sections of ditches were cleaned (where they were affected by a query) when the site was discovered by Rui Boaventura, and were dated from the Late Neolithic in the context of my project on ditched enclosures. The collected material was recently studied in a master thesis, hopefully to be published in the coming times. But the geophysics done in 2011 provided the main information about the site, showing its complex temporalities and plans (see here).  

Today I remembered those days, when a small and happy team was measuring Moreiros, escorted by the local cows.

Becker and the cows. 

The team: Rui Boaventura, Helmut Becker, António Valera. Nelson Cabaço.

0214 - Two different overlapping enclosures at Moreiros 2?

This is what the geophysics interpretation might suggest. 

General interpretation of Moreiros 2 geophysics (magnetogram from Helmut Becker)

A first one (A) presents mainly palisade structures and has a more irregular design, following the layout of topography.

A second set of enclosures (B), partially overlapping the first, is characterized mainly by ditches, with patterned features (namely gates) and with different designs, more concentric and that don´t respect the topographical layout.

The two possible sets of enclosures.

The two inner ditches of this second sequence (the only ones archaeologically excavated, have been dated from Late Neolithic. That means that the first sequence of enclosures is earlier, maybe from a middle Neolithic. To be true, that would take back a little the emergence of enclosure in Alentejo (as it happens in central Portugal with Senhora da Alegria enclosures).

It would also be interesting to date the outside ditches of the second sequence, the ones that have a sort of polygonal design, for the only parallel we have for that layout is in Chalcolithic walled enclosures (S. Pedro, Porto das Carretas).

This data and ideas were published in:

António Carlos Valera, Helmut Becker e Rui Boaventura

MOREIROS 2 (ARRONCHES, PORTALEGRE): GEOFÍSICA E CRONOLOGIA DOS RECINTOS INTERIORES, Apontamentos de Arqueologia e Património, 9.

 Download HERE.

0205 - Ditched enclosures and carved rocks

It is an interesting relation, although difficult to establish, that seems to be emerging in some sites.

In Moreiros 2, several rocks with cup marks were identified the periphery of the enclosures.

Carved rocks with cup marks in the periphery of Moreiros 2 enclosure (images taken from Valera, Becker and Boaventura, (in press) "Moreiros 2 (Arronches, Portalegre). Geophysics and chronology of the internal enclosures"

At Torrão a rock also with cup marks is known near the enclosure and in Perdigões there is a rock inside the Chalcolithic enclosure, but outside of the Neolithic ones almost totally carved with cup marks, also present at one of the stones of the cromlech.

Carved rock with cup marks at Perdigões.

Of course we do not know the exact chronology of the cup marks, but in these three situations they are in the periphery of Late Neolithic ditched enclosures. What they mean we do not know. We can only speculate and many ideas were put forward. But maybe there is a relation between them and the practices that were taking place inside the enclosures.  

0170 - Poster on Moreiros 2

Poster presented to the IX Iberian Congress of Archaeometry. Lisbon, 2011.

0060 – Portuguese ditched enclosures at the IX CIA

A paper and two posters are being presented at the IX Congress of Iberian Archaeometry, held in Lisbon. The paper focus on the results of the project on Cosmological Foundation of Enclosures Architectures analysed through geophysical survey. The posters present the geophysical results at Xancra and Moreiros 2.
A Project of NIA-ERA, financed by Gulbenkian Foundation (that is hosting the conference).

0049 – The first wood henges in Iberia?

Well known in Europe, wood heges seem to be missing in Iberia. But just like ditched enclosures some years ago, I believe this is just a problem of research rather than a real circumstance.

A couple of years ago I came across with a context in Beira Alta (Central Portugal) in the Quinta da Assentada site that had a sequence of post holes and small ditches with several directions, sometimes cutting each other. This was overlapped by another sequence of alignments of rectangular pits. Unfortunately, the extent of the excavations didn´t allow a full comprehension of the plans suggested by those structures, but an essay of the eventual type of super structures was attempted.



Quinta da Assentada. View of the several small ditches and post holes, inclusively inside the ditches, and possible reconstitution (Valera, 2007)

More recently, the geophysical research done in several ditched enclosures and the reinterpretation of a excavated context, seem to reveal the presence of circular timber henges. This can be seen at Moreiros 2 and Outeiro Alto 2. In the later a possible wood henge was surrounded by three funerary hypogea and a pit grave. This context and interpretation will soon be published.



Circle of large post holes of a possible henge. The pits are equal to the ones that can be seen in the alignment of a possible palisade at the left, in Moreiros 2 (Becker, Valera & Boaventura, in print).

In fact, more situations like those will exist, but they can only be detected with open area excavation or good geophysics (and, of course, with a mind open to this possibility).

References:

Becker, H., Valera, A.C. and Boaventura, R. (in print), “Moreiros 2 (Arronches, Évora): magnetometry of a complex ditch and palisade enclosure”, poster to be presented at the IXIberian Congress of Archaeometry, Lisbon, 2011.

Valera, António Carlos (2007), Dinâmicas locais de identidade: estruturação de um espaço de tradição no 3º milenio AC (Fornos de Algodres, Guarda), Braga, CMFA/TA.

0010 - Moreiros 2 ditched (and palisade) enclosures

Location: Arronches municipality, Évora district, Alentejo, South Portugal)
Chronology: Late Neolithic / Chalcolithic (?)
Bibliographic references: Boaventura, 2007; Becker, Valera & Boaventura, in print; Valera, in print.

Moreiros 2 was identified by Rui Boaventura in a gravel quarry. In the quarry profiles, two ditches were identified and a small ditched enclosure was assumed. Contacting Rui, I had his agreement (and field cooperation) to incorporate the site in the NIA-ERA project (financed by Gulbenkian) on cosmological foundation of enclosures designs and geophysical prospection was done (the team was composed by Helmut Becker leading the geophysics, me, Rui and Nelson Cabaço).

Once again, surprise was expecting us. The site is much bigger and complex that the initial observations suggested. The enclosures go, at list, up to nine (in a provisional counting). The area enclosed is much bigger and some lines of enclosures assume configurations (adapting to the topography) that are quite rare (not to say absolutely new) in the region. Entrances are various in number and configuration. Palisades are, definitively, present in the definition of some of the enclosures.

But, at the surface of the site, almost no material was found. And this is another important result of Moreiros prospection: we have to be very carefully about deductions supported on surface findings. How many enclosures are enclosing “open sites” defined by surface findings in Alentejo?

Surprised by the size, we weren´t able to finish the geophysical survey. We plan to finish it next month, if no further surprises appear (that would be quite welcome, if I may add).