001/2013 - Campanha de 2013

A campanha de 2013 está já em preparação. As inscrições estão abertas até 31 de Maio, estando a ficha de pré-inscrição disponível em http://www.nia-era.org

The 2013 campaign is already in preparation. Inscriptions are open until March 31, and the application form can be obtained at http://www.nia-era.org

A selecção dos participantes será comunicada na primeira semana de Junho. Os candidatos terão então três dias para confirmar a sua presença.
As candidaturas já enviadas são em grande número, esperando-se uma muito difícil tarefa de selecção.

The selection of candidates will be communicated during the first week of June. The selected candidates will have to confirm their present within three days.

A great number of applications have already been received, and a quite difficult task of selection is expected.

Até ao momento:
Until now we have:

Portugal: 32 candidaturas/applications
Espanha (Spain): 57 candidaturas/applications
Reino Unido (United Kingdom): 6 candidaturas/applications
Itália (Italy): 1 candidatura/applications

017 - Just at the end

Unfortunately, some problems with the computer didn’t allow the posting o the news related to the development of the excavation during the last week. We just finished this year campaign last Saturday. Most of the goals were achieved, although the structure with cremations is far from being finished. There, we have already a minimum number of individuals of 102.

Several limestone idols were recovered, as well as burned arrow heads and burned beads. Here it is an interesting situation: a burned horse phalange, surrounded by at least 9 beads, almost as if it was carrying a small necklace around it at the moment it was submitted to fire.

But, as usually, the last days always have surprises. This year was the presence of 5 “Almeriense” idols right in the bottom of ditch 12, in a clear Neolithic context. Another was collected in the hypogeum structure, also Neolithic.

The first five were collected together in the bottom of ditch 12. The first from the right comes from the hypogeum structure.

0016 - Excavating bones

015 - Depositions

Peripheral depositions in the “hypogeum” structure. Half pots continue to appear.

These depositions are over a part of geological rock that has fallen from the roof. So, what we excavated here until now is a reuse of the top part of this structure. And now we wonder what is under that layer of geologic material.

014 - Images from the excavation

As hard as it can be... even with a broom.

Not so hard at the "hypogeum"...

... and with rewards...

... like some idols (again in half parts)

... but here things got tricky: the depositions of cremated human remains are becoming circular and with a basin shape.We will see...

013 - Material from the cremations context

A limestone pot...

... and another ivory idol.

012 - Mini pots ?

from Late Neolithic contexts...

011 - Inner palisade

We just reached the bottom of the inner ditch of the possible double palisade. Neolithic, naturally.

010 - The team (part 1)

009 - Digging an idol

008 - "Halfs" / "Metades"

Depositions of pottery broken in half are still being recorded inside the "hypogeum" structure, dated from Late Neolithic
Deposições de cerâmicas partidas pela metade continuam a ser registadas na estrutura de tipo hipogeu, datadas do Neolítico Final.

And if you want to know what I think about depositions of "half materials" you can see it here
E se querem saber o que penso sobre deposições de materiais partidos pela metade, podem ver aqui

007 - Excavating the deposits with human cremations

006 - Human cremations

We are excavating the human cremation deposits dated from middle 3th millennium BC. The burned bones are mainly associated to burned necklace beads and burned arrow heads as the ones recovered in the last two days and to fragmented burned objects in ivory (such as anthropomorphic figurines).

These assemblages are quite different from the ones collected in earlier excavations in collective tombs 1 and 2 (in the eastern necropolis area). The tipology of the arrow heads is also different from the one of the two tombs.

Estamos a escavar os depósitos com cremações humanas de meados do 3º milénio AC. Os ossos queimados estão essencialmente associados a contas de colar e pontas de seta queimadas, como as recolhidas nestes dois últimos dias,  e a fragmentos queimados de objectos em marfim (como as figurinhas antropomórficas).

Estes conjuntos são muito diferentes dos recolhidos em campanhas anteriores nos sepulcros 1 e 2 na necrópole da área Este. A tipologia das pontas de seta também difere significativamente.

Radiocarbon dates are documenting that both areas were used in the middle and the second half of the millennia, but with quite different funerary practices.

In the cremation deposits, bones show that a significant part was cremated with flesh. Cremation probably occurred shortly after death, with soft tissues still preserved, and then the remains were deposited in the centre of the site. But they were burned with their necklace, ivory material and arrowheads and apparently not much more. And were the arrow heads a funerary gift or were they inside their bodies?

This context is strange, but extremely interesting.

As datações de radiocarbono têm documentado que ambas as áreas funcionam em meados e segunda metade do 3º milénio, mas com práticas funerárias muito distintas.

Nos depósitos de cremações os ossos demonstram que foram maioritariamente cremados com carne. A cremação terá sido provavelmente pouco tempo após a morte, com tecidos moles ainda preservados, sendo os restos depositados no centro do recinto. Mas os indivíduos (ou parte dos seus restos mortais, foram queimados com os seus colares, material em marfim e pontas de seta e, aparentemente, não muito mais. E eram as pontas de seta uma oferenda funerárias ou estavam dentro dos corpos?

O contexto é estranho, mas muito interessante.

005 - Digging a Chalcolithic pit

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... with pottery shards, faunal remains and a "Ídolo de Cornos". A pit that cut a earlier hypogium type structure.

004 - Dogs in ditches

Here is a Late Neolithic dog skull from ditch 8. The skull was deposited over a “bed” of pottery shards and was covered with some more.

In Perdigões, we had depositions of isolated dog skulls from Chalcolithic ditch 3. Now we have this practice in Late Neolithic contexts.

003 - Collaborating teams

In the last two days we have visitors, from collaborating research units. First Randy Danielson from Igespar Paleo Sciences Centre to collect samples from Ditch 6 for pollen analysis. Second the team from Nuclear Technological Institute to collect samples from local geological background.

Sampling for pollens

Discussing ditch 6 profile with ITN team

002 - Some artifacts from yesterday

A bird in ceramics and...

... a nice bell beaker shard. Both from setor P, but not related to the ditches: they come from above ploughed contexts. revealing a chalcolitic (late) occupation outside the negative structures, as we have evidence in all central area of the site.

001/2012 – First day: areas where we are going to excavate

NIA will be excavating in the central area of Perdigões set of enclosures. An area where we have structures dating from Late Neolithic (3500 to 2900 years BC) till Late Chalcolithic /Early Bronze Age (around 2000 years BC).
O NIA vai estar a escavar na área central dos Perdigões. Uma zona onde existem estruturas que datam desde o Neolítico Final (3500 a 2900 AC) até ao Calcolítico Final / Início da Idade do Bronze (cerca de 2000 AC).

 

In sector Q we enlarged Survey 1. This will enable to define the possible Neolithic hypogeum in the far Westside and the area with chalcolithic human cremation depositions.
No Sector Q alargámos a Sondagem 1. Este alargamento permite abranger a totalidade de um possível hipogeu na extremidade Oeste, assim como a área de deposição calcolítica de restos humanos cremados.

 

Further south we are opening a new survey (Survey 2), to excavate two small ditches that might correspond to two palisades inside Late Neolithic Ditch 6.
Mais a Sul abrimos uma nova sondagem (Sondagem 2) com o objectivo de escavar dois pequenos fossos paralelos pelo interior ao Fosso 6, do Neolítico Final, os quais poderão corresponder a duas linhas de paliçadas.

 

More to the west, already in sector P, we are opening another survey (Survey 1 of Sector P) to excavate the crossing of two other ditches (ditches 7 and 8). The aim is date these two ditches and comprehend which cuts which.
Mais para Oeste, já no Sector P, abrimos uma nova sondagem (Sondagem 1 do Sector P). O objectivo é sondar e datar dois fossos que se cruzam (Fossos 7 e 8) e perceber qual corta qual.

 

For the next month we will be giving news of these excavations here. You are welcome to follow them. Durante o próximo mês daremos notícia do andamento dos trabalhos, convidando todos os interessados a acompanhar aqui a evolução dos mesmos.

000/2012 - The new campaign - 2012

Can be fallowed here from 16 July to 11 August

Pode ser seguida aqui entre 16 de Julho e 11 de Agosto

00013 - The end, after some days without notice

In the Chalcolithic sector, we must open more area next year to understand the depositions of human cremations, surrounded by a stone structure that seems to include a sort of a cyst. Ivory idols, beads and arrow heads were de main materials associated to the cremations. But we just define and excavated the topo of these contexts that demonstrate, as pit 4 did last year, the importance of cremations in Perdigões during the 3rd millennium BC.
No sector calcolítico, temos que alargar a área no próximo ano para entender as deposições de cremações humanas circunscritas por uma estrutura de pedra que parece integrar uma espécie de cista. Ídolos de marfim, contas de colar e pontas de seta são os materiais acompanhantes. Mas somente definimos e escavámos os depósitos mais superiores destes contextos, que demonstram a importância, como havia feito a fossa 4 o ano passado, da cremação nos Perdigões durante o 3º milénio AC.
























Excavation of Ditch 6 reached the end, mostly thanks to this couple.
A escavação do Fosso 6 chegou ao fundo, maioritariamente devido ao trabalho deste par.




















Here we can see Ditch 6, the semi circular small ditch by the outside of the latter and the underground circular structure that it cuts. All from Late Neolithic (second half of the 4th millennium BC).
Aqui podemos ver o Fosso 6, a vala semi circular pelo seu exterior e a estrutura subterranean circular que esta vala corta. Tudo do Neolítico Final (2ª metade do 4º milénio AC).




















Circular underground structure cut by the small semi circular ditch.
Estrutura circular subterrânea cortada pela Vala semi circular.


























Inside, concentration of broken pottery in situ (half pots and carenated blows, with stones inside and in one case with a small axe also inside) and deer antlers.
No interior, concentrações de cerâmicas in situ (frequentemente metades de taças carenadas e globulraes, com pedras dentro e num caso um pequeno machado) e de hastes de um veado.




















The team during August.
A equipa durante Agosto.




















Sun rising at Perdigões
Nascer do Sol nos Perdigões.

00012 - Day 18

Ditch 6 gets deeper: alignment of stones after a deposit of faunal (mainly pig) remains.
O Fosso 6 vai ficando mais profundo: alinhamento de pedras depois de um depósito de restos de fauana (sobretudo de porco).




















In the human burned bones structure, anthropomorphic idols keep commimg out.
Na estrutura de restos humanos cremados, os ídolos antropomórficos não param de aparecer.




















In the west limit of the possible Neolithic hypogeum structure a chalcolithic pit was excavated, filed with Bos taurus remains.
No limite Oeste da estrutura neolítica (possível hipogeu) foi escavada uma fossa calcolítica (que cortou parte dessa estrutura), preenchida com restos de Bos taurus.




















In the far NE door, the Màlaga team was making aereal photos.
Na distante entrada Nordeste, a eqipa de Málaga estava a tirar fotografias aéreas.

00011 - Day 14

Samples for osl luminiscense dating being collected; ditch 6 getting deeper; possible neolithic hypogeum cut by a chalcolithic pit; large carenated bowl.
Amostras para datação por luminescência OSL a serem recolhidas; Fosso 6 a ficar cada vez mais profundo; possivel hipogeu neolítico cortado por fossa calcolítica; grande (metade) taça carenada.

00010 - Day 13

Working at the field and at home. A rainy Monday.
A trabalhar no campo e em casa. Uma segunda feira chuvosa.