Citania de Briteiros The Citânia de Briteiros is an archaeological site of Castro culture in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, significant for its size, urbanism, and architecture. Although primarily known for its remains of an Iron Age proto-urban hill fort (or oppidum), excavations at the site have revealed evidence of sequential settlements extending from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The site is situated on a small promontory called Monte de São Romão near the Ave river, in the Norte region of Portugal, between the freguesias of Salvador de Briteiros and Donim, about 15 kilometers north-west of Guimarães. The location provides an extensive view over the navigable Ave river and its valley, and over an early north-south trade and communication path between the Douro and Minho river valleys. The moderate elevation of the site, the temperate and humid climate, and the nearby river give the hill and the surrounding area varied and rich natural resources for exploitation, from fruits of the woods to fishing to grazing. The site has been studied extensively since 1874, when the Portuguese archaeologist Francisco Martins Sarmento began annual excavation campaigns while helping to develop methods of archaeological research and preservation in Portugal; Sarmentos campaigns led to the discovery of much of the ruins of the acropolis (the highest portion of the settlement), and he reconstructed a pair of dwellings on the site from his research. Continuing discoveries during the first decades of work led Martins Sarmento to purchase the land on which the settlement lay. The land and Martins Sarmentos research materials were bequeathed to the Martins Sarmento Society; from the 1930s through the 1960s, new excavations were carried out by the Society, supervised by Mário Cardozo, which led to the discovery of large parts of the settlement on the eastern slope and additional portions of the acropolis. Further surveys were made in the 1970s (in the north-eastern section), and in 2002, 2005 and 2006. As research methods developed over the 19th and 20th centuries, the successive excavations at the Briteiros site adapted to evolving concepts, and gaps remain in the scientific knowledge of the site. In 2004 a project was initiated under the responsibility of Minho University with the collaboration of the Martins Sarmento Society to integrate the past studies and improve the conservation of the site. The site was classified and protected by IPPAR as a Portuguese National Monument in 1910. Source: wikipedia Image: Citânia de Briteiros houses and paving
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:40:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015