Excavations 2023


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

Wednesday 13 August 2014

069 – Post scriptum

At the office, comparing material from this year excavation with materials from previous campaigns, a head of an ivory figurine collected this year found its body collected two years ago.


But more than that. Carefully analyzed, it revealed something I have suggested before: that the eyes had inlays of small stones (looks likes a quartz stone) fixed with a “white clay”.
 
 
In fact, the large and deep eye holes from other figurines of the type suggested that they may have inlayed material to give a more dramatic expression to the faces. That idea seems now to be true, at least in some of those figurines. More detailed analyses will now be done.

Saturday 9 August 2014

068 - Team 2


,,, and see you next year.

Friday 8 August 2014

067 – New feature type


 
In sector Q a new type of feature, previously unknown in Perdigões, was recorded this year.

At the NW of survey 1 we have an overlapping of several structures. After some Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic pits, a large and apparently circular structure, with a depth of 30/40 cm, was excavated in the bedrock, cutting the previous features. Inside, at one meter from that cutting interface and running parallel to it, there was a narrow ditch. With a circular shape, it was defined in a quarter of a circle (also cutting previous structures), suggesting a structure with 8 m of diameter. Inside the ditch there were stones that might been used to sustained post.

It is soon to interpret this structure, but, being partially excavated in the bedrock, it seems to be a positive feature. Maybe a hut or maybe a small enclosed space of a different nature. Next year we will enlarge the survey in this area, for this is an important structure to understand in Perdigões.

Thursday 7 August 2014

066 – Ditch 7

 
To get to the bottom was an objective. But layers like these make it impossible. Layers of stones, pottery and faunal remains like this one take a lot of time to define and record.  To understand the filling processes of ditches is not cheap.

But when they are present and well recorded, we can appreciate the complexity and intentionality of filling processes. And that is food for thought.

Wednesday 6 August 2014

065 – A Button?

 
It is a cylinder made of polished ivory and it has a V shape perforation in the middle. It looks like one of those buttons of some winter coats, but much longer. Is it really a button or something else?

One thing is certain. Is the first ivory object contextualized recovered at Perdigões not associated with funerary contexts. It comes from Chalcolithic ditch 7.

Tuesday 5 August 2014

064 – After about 4500 years…

… it was lifted  from the bed of stones where it was put, probably with a similar care, but certainly with a different meaning.

 
And next to it there was a half plate. Especially for those who realize the importance of fragmentation and of half parts for these communities.

Monday 4 August 2014

063 – Daily tasks

Recording at the field…

 
… and cleaning and classifying materials at home.

 
Daily tasks of an archaeological excavation that is made of something else besides interesting or spectacular findings.

Sunday 3 August 2014

062 – Excavating pit 50…



… on a quiet Saturday afternoon. The pot deposited over a layer of small stones and, in the next layer, fragments of plate, possibly corresponding to an half part.

Saturday 2 August 2014

061 – Here comes the Sun… or a comet


 
Some jump into the interpretation of a Sun representation. Others argue that some may represent comets.

I just listen to the arguments and start to be convinced that these depictions may represent a variety of astronomic events.

And this shard, from Perdigões Chalcolithic ditch 7 and collected yesterday, may very well sugest a tail and the shining (dots inside the circle) of a comet.

Found especially for you, Paulo.