0232 - Evidences of feasting?

Some of the several parts of limbs from sheep/goat of Pit 50, some from young animals.

0231 - A weekend in the pit

Sounds much better in English.

0230 - Almost at the end

Perdigões this afternoon:

And the rainbow over the post that marks the NE gate. Humm...

Getting to the bottom. And another limb (obviously in the section).

0229 - Getting deeper

Pit 50 is getting deeper and larger. Parts of limbs of goat/sheep in anatomical connection continue to appear, now with some bigger pottery shards.

0228 - A pit with a lot of limbs.

Of young goat/sheep.

0227 - Back for Pit 50

This week we returned to Perdigões to continue (and hopefully finishing) the excavation of Pit 50.

After a thick layer, a depositions of faunal remains, namely with several limb bones of goat/sheep, some in anatomical connection.

0226 - Post Scriptum – A last minute visit

After the end of this year campaign and at his request, António Guterres, presently Secretary General of United Nations Organization, and family visited Perdigões enclosure, where they took notice of the main aspects of the Perdigões Research Program and of the site’s characteristics and its significant relation to the megalithic landscape of Reguengos de Monsaraz.

At the Museum, the process of discovery and the results of the first years of research were appreciated.

And the visit to the deposit, where José Roquette joined the rest of the group, allowed the contact with the discoveries of the last years of research, not yet expressed at the museum, and the explanations of Ricardo Godinho, that is studying the cremated human remains there.

Away from the cameras, a genuine interest in History and cultural heritage. A good reason to me for a quick leap to Perdigões. 

0225 - The last (and long) post of the campaign

The team of the 2nd phase. Two are missing, one possibly trying to get out of pit 80 and the other wondering around with a machine in hands.

An example of the complexity of middle Neolithic ditches, suggesting the periodic building of ditched enclosures in the same general area.

An example of the cutting of a middle Neolithic ditch by a late Neolithic one (ditch 5). 

The end of ditch 5 under Chalcolithic deposits and structures. Possibly a gate.

Two sections of Chalcolithic circular structures dismounted during the Chalcolithic. A deposit separate them, and another deposit is under the lower one.

That last deposit is against  the face of the wall. This is showing a sequence of construction of these stone structures during the Chalcolirhic.

Pit 80 is getting deeper. Who knows me knows I am a Beatles fan. And this pit reminds me of a song from Pepper's: "It's getting better all the time", where Lennon sang in the back: "it can get no worse"

And finally, the column has already about 70 cm.

See you next year (if not before).

0224 - A general image...

... of the complexity of the central area of Perdigões. Structures dating from 3500 to 2000 BC.

The density of structures, cutting or overlapping each other, makes the excavation quite difficult and shows that these complex contexts can only be address in open area. And the ditches, namely the earlier ones, rarely go where we expect them to go.

Also interesting to see that the chalcolithic occupations don't just build and occupy  over the Neolithic ones. They cut the previous ones, and then form deposits and build. Something that was also detected in an area just some 10/15 meters to south of the right limits of this photo.

0223 - Getting close to the end

Some images of today excavation.

When we get to the field. The rising Sun is always striking.

The wall is becoming quite a nice wall, with two rows of stones, nicely built.

Pit 80 is getting deeper and deeper, and the column bigger.

And the faunal remains there are abundant and show a significant presence of juvenile animals. 

0222 - Surprise, surprise

It started like this: a bloc of clay.

Then, when sectioned, a rock appeared. The clay was coating the rock.

When we went deep in the excavation, the rock continued, circular and coated by the clay. It looks like a bedrock column, like others known in large pits or Mediterranean hypogea. Because the rock is strongly weathered the coating with clay was a solution to avoid degradation (that occur once we did the section in the clay).

The excavation of pit 80 is already quite deep. The presence of the possible column suggests it may get a lot deeper. And makes us wondering...

Meanwhile, in the other pit botanic remains (possibly of linum) keep growing.

0221 - Getting more interesting

The pit with the carbonized fruits (?) is getting more interesting.

0220 - A pit with interesting remains

The stones that closed the pit excavated in previous deposits (with no impermeability of the walls).

The botanical remains appearing underneath the stones

A close up

The remains: some sort of carbonized fruits?

Idem.

Hopefully, we will soon know what they are.

0219 - Open Day

As medicine is not developed for the doctors Archaeology is not developed for the archaeologists. Archaeology produces knowledge to be used in social arenas and in personal cultural enlargement. Therefore, archaeological work and archaeological knowledge is to be shared, communicated, and debated with the public. Only then the job is done.  

Opening the excavations to public visit and communicating ongoing research is part of that.

So, today, it was open day at Perdigões. Visitors could see the site and the ongoing excavations, the site museum, the deposit where materials are being treated and assist to a conference that debated the presence and the possible meaning of exotic materials in the Perdigões funerary contexts.

At Perdigões this practice is already a tradition.

Visiting the site

Half of the participants visiting the deposit of archaeological materials, some that are being presently worked. The first half has already left for the museum.

0218 - Flashes of an excavation

Excavating a normal pit (not sleeping)

Excavating a deeeeeep pit.

Excavating a very small pit (post hole)

Cleaning a wall.

Defining the top of a Late Neolithic ditch that was cut by Chalcolithic contexts.