Excavations 2023


This is a temporary blog for presenting the excavations at Perdigões. Posts from 2011 to 2022 are available.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

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.

Friday 3 August 2012

Thursday 2 August 2012

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.

Tuesday 31 July 2012

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...

Monday 30 July 2012

013 - Material from the cremations context

A limestone pot...


... and another ivory idol.

Sunday 29 July 2012

012 - Mini pots ?

from Late Neolithic contexts...

Saturday 28 July 2012

011 - Inner palisade

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


Friday 27 July 2012

Thursday 26 July 2012

Tuesday 24 July 2012

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

Sunday 22 July 2012

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.

Saturday 21 July 2012

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.

Thursday 19 July 2012

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

Wednesday 18 July 2012

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.

Monday 16 July 2012

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.

Thursday 21 June 2012

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