André Santos | Universidade de Coimbra (original) (raw)

Books by André Santos

This book presents the monographic study of the rock art site of Fial (Tondela, Viseu). Seventy-n... more This book presents the monographic study of the rock art site of Fial (Tondela, Viseu). Seventy-nine decorated rocks are spread through 5 groups. Relations of visibility exist between the second and the third, between the third and the fourth and between the fourth and the fifth. A megalithic mound is located between the first and the second group, being that monument visible from both the first and the second groups. As will be argued, we propose three different phases of engraving on the site: the first is dated from a period between the IV and the III millennium BC; the second goes back to Late Bronze Age and the third has a medieval or modern chronology.
Two main purposes guide us through our work: to reach a better understanding of the rock art phenomenon in Beira Alta and to understand the relevance of Fial in the context of the prehistoric periods, during which the site was used.
These purposes conditioned the theoretical approach underlying our work. The theoretical approach was hermeneutical because the site was understood as a place that could be read as a text; and it was phenomenological because we understand as meaningful the relations between our bodily experience, the site itself and the context where it lies. The approach was phenomenological and hermeneutical also because, following Heidegger, we understand the world(s) as a system of intelligibility where the Being is thrown of.
The structure of our study is obviously conditioned by this approach. We start by throwing our attentions to the former works on the subject of rock art in Beira Alta. Then, our theoretical approach is discussed. A chapter on the methodology closes the first part of our text. In the second part both the geographic and cultural contexts are exposed. The description of the site and its decorated rocks, as well as the discussion regarding the chronology of the engravings, is made in this section. In the third part, we discuss the structure underlying the organization of the site. Then we expose our view of how this structure can be explained in the context of the prehistoric periods during which the site was used. In the fourth part, we try to argue how the study of the site has contributed to a more clear view of the rock art phenomenon in Beira Alta. Then we evaluate the pertinence of the site in prehistoric times.
The study of the site and the data from other rock art emplacements in Beira Alta, lead us to the conclusion that engravings in the region were made along four main periods: the first one can be dated from the transition of the IV to the III millennium BC; the second corresponds to a period between the III and the II millennium BC; the third is dated from Late Bronze Age/I Iron Age; the fourth can be traced back to the II Iron Age.
Regarding the interpretation of the site, we argue that Fial was used as an emplacement related with initiation rituals during the transition between the IV and the III millennium BC. We argue that the increasing labour’s social division has provoked a need to strongly define the identities of people inside communities and, one way of achieving that, is through ceremonial practices. Regarding the engraving of new motifs – like the foot-like motifs - in Late Bronze Age, we argue that theses actions can be understood as a way of appropriation of earlier and highly symbolic places by the elites of the time.

Papers by André Santos

We provide a synthesis of the results delivered by the rock art studies carried out in the contex... more We provide a synthesis of the results delivered by the rock art studies carried out in the context of the project PalæoCôa (PTDC/EPH-ARQ/0326/2014). We have adopted an archaeological approach that had at its core the need of an integrated study of prehistoric art within its archaeological and geological context. This approach has able us to better define the Palaeolithic graphic cycle of the Côa Valley, especially of its Magdalenian phases and the moments immediately previous and after

Quaternary Research, 2020

The timing of the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic demise and a possible overlap with a... more The timing of the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic demise and a possible overlap with anatomically modern humans (AMH) in some regions of Eurasia continues to be debated. The Iberian Peninsula is considered a possible refuge zone for the last Neanderthals, but the chronology of the later Middle Palaeolithic record has undergone revision and has increased the debate on the timing of Neanderthal extinction. Here we report on a study of the 5-m-thick archaeological stratigraphy of the Cardina-Salto do Boi, an open-air site located in inland Iberia, from which optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages were obtained for Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations preserved in overbank alluvial deposits. Geomorphology, archaeostratigraphy, stone-tool evolution, and OSL dating support the persistence of Neanderthals after 41 ka in central Iberia; the transition between the Middle Palaeolithic material culture and the AMH-associated Aurignacian blade and bladelet production is es...

Conimbriga, 2019

Este texto debruça-se sobre a rocha 7 da Faia, um dos sítios que compõem o conjunto de arte paleo... more Este texto debruça-se sobre a rocha 7 da Faia, um dos sítios que compõem o conjunto de arte paleolítica do Vale do Côa. Trata-se do segundo espaço parietal deste sítio criado durante o Paleolítico Superior, muito provavelmente durante o intervalo temporal compreendido entre o Gravettense e o Solutrense médio. Contrariamente à maior parte dos espaços parietais do Côa, este não se encontra ao ar livre, mas sob abrigo, em zona de penumbra. A composição que nele se encontra é constituída apenas por uma cerva e uma possível unidade gráfica não figurativa, ambas conseguidas por picotagem. Na primeira parte do texto serão descritos a metodologia de estudo, o sítio e a rocha em si. Ao longo dos capítulos 4 a 6 será discutida a importância da rocha nos contextos do sítio, do Vale do Côa e da arte paleolítica da Península Ibérica.

Portugalia: Revista de Arqueologia do Departamento de Ciências e Técnicas do Património da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, 2018

We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-fi... more We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the Pre-boreal is perfectly assured by the stratigraphic origin of the pieces. The technical and stylistic attributes of the figures are similar to some of the rock art of the Côa valley, making the collection an important chronological referent to a vast number of engraved and painted panels of the region. Those technical and stylistic attributes are also similar to others from Southwest Europe that are dated from the end of the Late glacial period, which denotes the affiliation of this rock art facies in a graphic tradition of a broader geographic range.

Conimbriga: Revista de Arqueologia, 2006

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2020

The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opp... more The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opportunity to analyse its stratigraphic relationship with preserved Quaternary deposits and to reconstruct those that may have since disappeared. Litho-stratigraphic units, discontinuities and their architecture are interpreted in the context of the valley’s evolution and its environment. The spatial distribution of rock art panels, chronological attribution of the rock art and their geomorphological context can help us to reconstruct the topography of the valley at the time of its production and to identify where rock art panels could be buried, as well as to establish their chronology.

we publish in this text the decorated slab of the dolmen 1 of lameiro dos pastores and the decora... more we publish in this text the decorated slab of the dolmen 1 of lameiro dos pastores and the decorated ones of the dolmen 1 of Versão integral disponível em digitalis.uc.pt Chão do Brinco. Both monuments are part of two necropolis located in the Montemuro mountain; these necropolis are less than 1 km apart from each other; both the monuments are dated from the beginnings of the iv millennium cal BC. The decoration of both monuments is perfectly integrated in the characteristic graphic repertoire of the iberian northwest.

CôaVisão, 2021

Embora a prospeção entre os rios Côa e Águeda ainda esteja longe de terminada, ela permitiu já: -... more Embora a prospeção entre os rios Côa e Águeda ainda esteja longe de terminada, ela permitiu já:
- Comprovar a ocupação de ambientes geológicos, topográficos e ecológicos muito diversificados deste vasto território durante o Paleolítico Superior, preenchendo o vazio ilusório entre as gravuras do Baixo Côa e as do Águeda (Siega Verde, Redor do Porco e Arroyo de las Almas);
- Identificar nesses sítios a presença de sílex e silcretos alóctones e localizar a origem de matérias-primas representadas noutros sítios paleolíticos do Baixo Côa, documentando objetivamente a mobilidade dos grupos pré-históricos; e
- Identificar vestígios de arte móvel, longe das ocupações do fundo do vale.
Não menos importante, os novos dados de prospeção confirmam a ocupação da região durante o Paleolítico Médio, já conhecida no sítio de Cardina-Salto do Boi.
Estes dados reforçam a urgência da investigação acerca da evolução geomorfológica, paleoclimática, paleoambiental e paleoecológica deste território, indispensável para a compreensão das manifestações gráficas produzidas pelas comunidades de caçadores-recolectores do Paleolítico Superior.

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2020

The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opp... more The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opportunity to analyse its stratigraphic relationship with preserved Quaternary deposits and to reconstruct those that may have since disappeared. Litho-stratigraphic units, discontinuities and their architecture are interpreted in the context of the valley’s evolution and its environment. The spatial distribution of rock art panels, chronological attribution of the rock art and their geomorphological context can help us to reconstruct the topography of the valley at the time of its production and to identify where rock art panels could be buried, as well as to establish their chronology.

Côavisão, 22, 2020

a de outras regiões peninsulares genericamente coeva zação dos contactos com outras regiões da Pe... more a de outras regiões peninsulares genericamente coeva zação dos contactos com outras regiões da Península Aproveitamos também esta ocasião para nos debru-quais não se havia publicado qualquer consideração tios com arte rupestre que se conhecem na região atribuíveis ao Paleolítico ( ---Do Neandertal ao Homem anatomicamente moderno no centro da Península Ibérica: simbolismo e redes sociais no Vale do Côa. Na grama de Operacionalidade e Competitividade e In-Os trabalhos de campo realizaram-se essencialmen-tado ao sítio entre os dias 24 e 26 de setembro do mesmo ano para terminar detalhes 3 . Pretendia-se com estes trabalhos concluir o registo da --consistente a arte magdalenense do Vale do Côa com 1 Foz Côa 2 -3 As rochas que aqui se publicam encontram-se na propriedade ção para a realização dos trabalhos que aqui se dão conta.

Quaternary International, 2020

The Tardiglacial of Portugal has been associated with the Magdalenian culture and lithic industri... more The Tardiglacial of Portugal has been associated with the Magdalenian culture and lithic industries characterized by tool miniaturization, a diversity of microlith types, and the absence of a intentional blade production. The technological characterization, the chronology and the phasing of the Portuguese Magdalenian have been defined based on data recovered from open-air sites of the Estremadura region (Central Portugal).
This paper presents an overview of the research undertaken over the last twenty-five years, including results from research and preventive archaeology fieldwork outside this region, namely in the Côa, Sabor and Vouga Valleys (northern Portugal), as well as in the Guadiana Valley and Algarve regions (southern Portugal). Our chronological boundaries are the Greenland Stadial 2-1b and the 8.2 ka event, from Early Magdalenian to Early Mesolithic.
Regarding vegetation, deciduous Quercus underwent expansion during the warm phases of the Tardiglacial and retracted during cold ones, when pines increased. After the Solutrean, the faunal assemblages show a decrease in the variability of the represented species and an increase in fish, birds, small mammals and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
Concerning the cultural sequence, the Middle Magdalenian remains uncharacterized.
After the Upper Magdalenian, and thenceforward, the use of local raw materials and of cores-on-flakes (burin or carinated endscraper type) for bladelet production gradually increased. In terms of lithic armatures typology, a four-stage sequence can be discerned: 1) Upper Magdalenian with axial points rather than backed bladelets, quite common in previous phases; 2) Final Magdalenian with an increase in the diversity of
armature types; 3) Azilian with geometric microliths, curved backed points (Azilian points) and Malaurie points, and 4) Early Mesolithic without retouched bladelet tools or at best a persistence of Azilian armature types.
There were some changes in the Palaeolithic rock art of the Douro basin between phase 3 (Final Magdalenian) and phase 4 (Late Azilian): figurative animal representations give place to animal depictions characterized by their geometrical bodies, often filled-in, and red deer becomes the best-represented animal.

In Vilaça, R.; Aguiar, R.S. (Eds.) - (I)Mobilidades na Pré-história: Pessoas, recursos, objetos, sítios e territórios. Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2020

The archaeological remains of the Upper Palaeolithic of the Côa Valley inform us of the resources... more The archaeological remains of the Upper Palaeolithic of the Côa Valley inform us of the resources, the geographical spaces explored and the mobility of the human groups at different scales. One is the scale of the territory of exploitation of the abiotic resources of the groups that most frequently lived in the region, whose existence is corroborated by the systematic presence of some raw materials, sometimes only available from very localized sources. Given the functional difference between the valley bottom sites of the Côa Valley and those located in the surrounding plateau, we can infer patterns of mobility and territory exploitation of a probable annual periodicity. The origin of some of the lithic raw materials identified in the excavations of the region, both from the interior of the Iberian Plateau and from the coast of the Portuguese Estremadura, may reflect broader spectrum mobility phenomena, particularly groups that, exploring more distant territories, which would meet in the Côa with a different periodicity. The occurrence of these moments of aggregation of various groups from other territories also seems to be attested by the great concentration of rock art in the valley, as well as by the characteristics of its parietal architecture, whose study implies the approach to mobility on a much more detailed scale, which is inferred from the study of their spatial distribution and the relationship between the various panels. In this work we will look at the phenomenon of mobility during the Gravettian seen from these various scales of analysis, seeking to extract a clearer picture of the communities that inhabited the region and that access to it periodically.

Desde hace años se viene colaborando entre los gestores de los sitos del Côa y Siega Verde que en... more Desde hace años se viene colaborando entre los gestores de los sitos del Côa y Siega Verde que en la actualidad optan a una misma y única clasificación como Patrimonio Mundial por la UNESCO. Solventada la primera fase de la investigación y difusión de ambos conjuntos, se hace necesario plantear nuevas acciones encaminadas a la conser-vación y gestión de estos sitios al aire libre, por lo que se requiere de una documentación de mayor precisión, que permita su revisión y facilite la diagnosis y seguimiento de la evolución de los grabados. Se hace un somero repaso de los métodos de reproducción y se plantean las posibilidades que ofrecen las metodologías más modernas que deben ir asociadas al desarrollo de bases de datos relacionables. For years it has been working among the managers of the sites Côa Valley and Sie-ga Verde that currently qualify for one and the same classification as a UNESCO World Heritage. Having passed the first stage of research and dissemination of both sets, it is necessary to consider further actions for the conservation and management of these outdoor sites, so it requires a more precise documentation to allow for its review and provide the diagnosis and monitoring of the evolution of the prints. There is a brief review of the methods of reproduction and raises the potential of newer technologies that should be associated with the development of related databases. Palabras clave Arte paleolítico; aire libre; Patrimonio Mundial; técnicas de reproducción;

Portvgalia, 2018

We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-fi... more We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the Pre-boreal is perfectly assured by the stratigraphic origin of the pieces. The technical and stylistic attributes of the figures are similar to some of the rock art of the Côa valley, making the collection an important chronological referent to a vast number of engraved and painted panels of the region. Those technical and stylistic attributes are also similar to others from Southwest Europe that are dated from the end of the Late glacial period, which denotes the affiliation of this rock art facies in a graphic tradition of a broader geographic range.

Estudos Pré-históricos, 2017

We have tried to understand the degree of homogeneity of the so-called group of Viseu of megalith... more We have tried to understand the degree of homogeneity of the so-called group of Viseu of megalithic art, now that thirty years have elapsed since the its identification. To achieve this goal, we have started by compiling all the information regarding these monuments. The graphic repertoire of all of the decorated peninsular megalithic monuments, including the ones of the Viseu region, was analysed via " Simple Correspondence Analysis ". This analysis has shown that there is no graphic homogeneity in the group of monuments of the Viseu region. The analysis has revealed, on the other hand, the existence of two variants of megalithic art in the Iberian Peninsula: one concentrated in its northwestern corner and other on the south. Both of these variants co-exist in the Viseu region. However, seven monuments of the Viseu region are not integrated by the analysis in any of those two variants. That should be seen as a result of the confluence of the two variants in the same region. But our analysis has also revealed a strong uniformity of the peninsular megalithic art as a whole, which suggests that the two identified variants are local materializations of a common ideology of (at least) Iberian scope.

This book presents the monographic study of the rock art site of Fial (Tondela, Viseu). Seventy-n... more This book presents the monographic study of the rock art site of Fial (Tondela, Viseu). Seventy-nine decorated rocks are spread through 5 groups. Relations of visibility exist between the second and the third, between the third and the fourth and between the fourth and the fifth. A megalithic mound is located between the first and the second group, being that monument visible from both the first and the second groups. As will be argued, we propose three different phases of engraving on the site: the first is dated from a period between the IV and the III millennium BC; the second goes back to Late Bronze Age and the third has a medieval or modern chronology.
Two main purposes guide us through our work: to reach a better understanding of the rock art phenomenon in Beira Alta and to understand the relevance of Fial in the context of the prehistoric periods, during which the site was used.
These purposes conditioned the theoretical approach underlying our work. The theoretical approach was hermeneutical because the site was understood as a place that could be read as a text; and it was phenomenological because we understand as meaningful the relations between our bodily experience, the site itself and the context where it lies. The approach was phenomenological and hermeneutical also because, following Heidegger, we understand the world(s) as a system of intelligibility where the Being is thrown of.
The structure of our study is obviously conditioned by this approach. We start by throwing our attentions to the former works on the subject of rock art in Beira Alta. Then, our theoretical approach is discussed. A chapter on the methodology closes the first part of our text. In the second part both the geographic and cultural contexts are exposed. The description of the site and its decorated rocks, as well as the discussion regarding the chronology of the engravings, is made in this section. In the third part, we discuss the structure underlying the organization of the site. Then we expose our view of how this structure can be explained in the context of the prehistoric periods during which the site was used. In the fourth part, we try to argue how the study of the site has contributed to a more clear view of the rock art phenomenon in Beira Alta. Then we evaluate the pertinence of the site in prehistoric times.
The study of the site and the data from other rock art emplacements in Beira Alta, lead us to the conclusion that engravings in the region were made along four main periods: the first one can be dated from the transition of the IV to the III millennium BC; the second corresponds to a period between the III and the II millennium BC; the third is dated from Late Bronze Age/I Iron Age; the fourth can be traced back to the II Iron Age.
Regarding the interpretation of the site, we argue that Fial was used as an emplacement related with initiation rituals during the transition between the IV and the III millennium BC. We argue that the increasing labour’s social division has provoked a need to strongly define the identities of people inside communities and, one way of achieving that, is through ceremonial practices. Regarding the engraving of new motifs – like the foot-like motifs - in Late Bronze Age, we argue that theses actions can be understood as a way of appropriation of earlier and highly symbolic places by the elites of the time.

We provide a synthesis of the results delivered by the rock art studies carried out in the contex... more We provide a synthesis of the results delivered by the rock art studies carried out in the context of the project PalæoCôa (PTDC/EPH-ARQ/0326/2014). We have adopted an archaeological approach that had at its core the need of an integrated study of prehistoric art within its archaeological and geological context. This approach has able us to better define the Palaeolithic graphic cycle of the Côa Valley, especially of its Magdalenian phases and the moments immediately previous and after

Quaternary Research, 2020

The timing of the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic demise and a possible overlap with a... more The timing of the Neanderthal-associated Middle Palaeolithic demise and a possible overlap with anatomically modern humans (AMH) in some regions of Eurasia continues to be debated. The Iberian Peninsula is considered a possible refuge zone for the last Neanderthals, but the chronology of the later Middle Palaeolithic record has undergone revision and has increased the debate on the timing of Neanderthal extinction. Here we report on a study of the 5-m-thick archaeological stratigraphy of the Cardina-Salto do Boi, an open-air site located in inland Iberia, from which optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages were obtained for Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations preserved in overbank alluvial deposits. Geomorphology, archaeostratigraphy, stone-tool evolution, and OSL dating support the persistence of Neanderthals after 41 ka in central Iberia; the transition between the Middle Palaeolithic material culture and the AMH-associated Aurignacian blade and bladelet production is es...

Conimbriga, 2019

Este texto debruça-se sobre a rocha 7 da Faia, um dos sítios que compõem o conjunto de arte paleo... more Este texto debruça-se sobre a rocha 7 da Faia, um dos sítios que compõem o conjunto de arte paleolítica do Vale do Côa. Trata-se do segundo espaço parietal deste sítio criado durante o Paleolítico Superior, muito provavelmente durante o intervalo temporal compreendido entre o Gravettense e o Solutrense médio. Contrariamente à maior parte dos espaços parietais do Côa, este não se encontra ao ar livre, mas sob abrigo, em zona de penumbra. A composição que nele se encontra é constituída apenas por uma cerva e uma possível unidade gráfica não figurativa, ambas conseguidas por picotagem. Na primeira parte do texto serão descritos a metodologia de estudo, o sítio e a rocha em si. Ao longo dos capítulos 4 a 6 será discutida a importância da rocha nos contextos do sítio, do Vale do Côa e da arte paleolítica da Península Ibérica.

Portugalia: Revista de Arqueologia do Departamento de Ciências e Técnicas do Património da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, 2018

We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-fi... more We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the Pre-boreal is perfectly assured by the stratigraphic origin of the pieces. The technical and stylistic attributes of the figures are similar to some of the rock art of the Côa valley, making the collection an important chronological referent to a vast number of engraved and painted panels of the region. Those technical and stylistic attributes are also similar to others from Southwest Europe that are dated from the end of the Late glacial period, which denotes the affiliation of this rock art facies in a graphic tradition of a broader geographic range.

Conimbriga: Revista de Arqueologia, 2006

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2020

The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opp... more The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opportunity to analyse its stratigraphic relationship with preserved Quaternary deposits and to reconstruct those that may have since disappeared. Litho-stratigraphic units, discontinuities and their architecture are interpreted in the context of the valley’s evolution and its environment. The spatial distribution of rock art panels, chronological attribution of the rock art and their geomorphological context can help us to reconstruct the topography of the valley at the time of its production and to identify where rock art panels could be buried, as well as to establish their chronology.

we publish in this text the decorated slab of the dolmen 1 of lameiro dos pastores and the decora... more we publish in this text the decorated slab of the dolmen 1 of lameiro dos pastores and the decorated ones of the dolmen 1 of Versão integral disponível em digitalis.uc.pt Chão do Brinco. Both monuments are part of two necropolis located in the Montemuro mountain; these necropolis are less than 1 km apart from each other; both the monuments are dated from the beginnings of the iv millennium cal BC. The decoration of both monuments is perfectly integrated in the characteristic graphic repertoire of the iberian northwest.

CôaVisão, 2021

Embora a prospeção entre os rios Côa e Águeda ainda esteja longe de terminada, ela permitiu já: -... more Embora a prospeção entre os rios Côa e Águeda ainda esteja longe de terminada, ela permitiu já:
- Comprovar a ocupação de ambientes geológicos, topográficos e ecológicos muito diversificados deste vasto território durante o Paleolítico Superior, preenchendo o vazio ilusório entre as gravuras do Baixo Côa e as do Águeda (Siega Verde, Redor do Porco e Arroyo de las Almas);
- Identificar nesses sítios a presença de sílex e silcretos alóctones e localizar a origem de matérias-primas representadas noutros sítios paleolíticos do Baixo Côa, documentando objetivamente a mobilidade dos grupos pré-históricos; e
- Identificar vestígios de arte móvel, longe das ocupações do fundo do vale.
Não menos importante, os novos dados de prospeção confirmam a ocupação da região durante o Paleolítico Médio, já conhecida no sítio de Cardina-Salto do Boi.
Estes dados reforçam a urgência da investigação acerca da evolução geomorfológica, paleoclimática, paleoambiental e paleoecológica deste território, indispensável para a compreensão das manifestações gráficas produzidas pelas comunidades de caçadores-recolectores do Paleolítico Superior.

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2020

The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opp... more The geomorphological context of the Côa Valley open-air Palaeolithic rock art offers a unique opportunity to analyse its stratigraphic relationship with preserved Quaternary deposits and to reconstruct those that may have since disappeared. Litho-stratigraphic units, discontinuities and their architecture are interpreted in the context of the valley’s evolution and its environment. The spatial distribution of rock art panels, chronological attribution of the rock art and their geomorphological context can help us to reconstruct the topography of the valley at the time of its production and to identify where rock art panels could be buried, as well as to establish their chronology.

Côavisão, 22, 2020

a de outras regiões peninsulares genericamente coeva zação dos contactos com outras regiões da Pe... more a de outras regiões peninsulares genericamente coeva zação dos contactos com outras regiões da Península Aproveitamos também esta ocasião para nos debru-quais não se havia publicado qualquer consideração tios com arte rupestre que se conhecem na região atribuíveis ao Paleolítico ( ---Do Neandertal ao Homem anatomicamente moderno no centro da Península Ibérica: simbolismo e redes sociais no Vale do Côa. Na grama de Operacionalidade e Competitividade e In-Os trabalhos de campo realizaram-se essencialmen-tado ao sítio entre os dias 24 e 26 de setembro do mesmo ano para terminar detalhes 3 . Pretendia-se com estes trabalhos concluir o registo da --consistente a arte magdalenense do Vale do Côa com 1 Foz Côa 2 -3 As rochas que aqui se publicam encontram-se na propriedade ção para a realização dos trabalhos que aqui se dão conta.

Quaternary International, 2020

The Tardiglacial of Portugal has been associated with the Magdalenian culture and lithic industri... more The Tardiglacial of Portugal has been associated with the Magdalenian culture and lithic industries characterized by tool miniaturization, a diversity of microlith types, and the absence of a intentional blade production. The technological characterization, the chronology and the phasing of the Portuguese Magdalenian have been defined based on data recovered from open-air sites of the Estremadura region (Central Portugal).
This paper presents an overview of the research undertaken over the last twenty-five years, including results from research and preventive archaeology fieldwork outside this region, namely in the Côa, Sabor and Vouga Valleys (northern Portugal), as well as in the Guadiana Valley and Algarve regions (southern Portugal). Our chronological boundaries are the Greenland Stadial 2-1b and the 8.2 ka event, from Early Magdalenian to Early Mesolithic.
Regarding vegetation, deciduous Quercus underwent expansion during the warm phases of the Tardiglacial and retracted during cold ones, when pines increased. After the Solutrean, the faunal assemblages show a decrease in the variability of the represented species and an increase in fish, birds, small mammals and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
Concerning the cultural sequence, the Middle Magdalenian remains uncharacterized.
After the Upper Magdalenian, and thenceforward, the use of local raw materials and of cores-on-flakes (burin or carinated endscraper type) for bladelet production gradually increased. In terms of lithic armatures typology, a four-stage sequence can be discerned: 1) Upper Magdalenian with axial points rather than backed bladelets, quite common in previous phases; 2) Final Magdalenian with an increase in the diversity of
armature types; 3) Azilian with geometric microliths, curved backed points (Azilian points) and Malaurie points, and 4) Early Mesolithic without retouched bladelet tools or at best a persistence of Azilian armature types.
There were some changes in the Palaeolithic rock art of the Douro basin between phase 3 (Final Magdalenian) and phase 4 (Late Azilian): figurative animal representations give place to animal depictions characterized by their geometrical bodies, often filled-in, and red deer becomes the best-represented animal.

In Vilaça, R.; Aguiar, R.S. (Eds.) - (I)Mobilidades na Pré-história: Pessoas, recursos, objetos, sítios e territórios. Coimbra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2020

The archaeological remains of the Upper Palaeolithic of the Côa Valley inform us of the resources... more The archaeological remains of the Upper Palaeolithic of the Côa Valley inform us of the resources, the geographical spaces explored and the mobility of the human groups at different scales. One is the scale of the territory of exploitation of the abiotic resources of the groups that most frequently lived in the region, whose existence is corroborated by the systematic presence of some raw materials, sometimes only available from very localized sources. Given the functional difference between the valley bottom sites of the Côa Valley and those located in the surrounding plateau, we can infer patterns of mobility and territory exploitation of a probable annual periodicity. The origin of some of the lithic raw materials identified in the excavations of the region, both from the interior of the Iberian Plateau and from the coast of the Portuguese Estremadura, may reflect broader spectrum mobility phenomena, particularly groups that, exploring more distant territories, which would meet in the Côa with a different periodicity. The occurrence of these moments of aggregation of various groups from other territories also seems to be attested by the great concentration of rock art in the valley, as well as by the characteristics of its parietal architecture, whose study implies the approach to mobility on a much more detailed scale, which is inferred from the study of their spatial distribution and the relationship between the various panels. In this work we will look at the phenomenon of mobility during the Gravettian seen from these various scales of analysis, seeking to extract a clearer picture of the communities that inhabited the region and that access to it periodically.

Desde hace años se viene colaborando entre los gestores de los sitos del Côa y Siega Verde que en... more Desde hace años se viene colaborando entre los gestores de los sitos del Côa y Siega Verde que en la actualidad optan a una misma y única clasificación como Patrimonio Mundial por la UNESCO. Solventada la primera fase de la investigación y difusión de ambos conjuntos, se hace necesario plantear nuevas acciones encaminadas a la conser-vación y gestión de estos sitios al aire libre, por lo que se requiere de una documentación de mayor precisión, que permita su revisión y facilite la diagnosis y seguimiento de la evolución de los grabados. Se hace un somero repaso de los métodos de reproducción y se plantean las posibilidades que ofrecen las metodologías más modernas que deben ir asociadas al desarrollo de bases de datos relacionables. For years it has been working among the managers of the sites Côa Valley and Sie-ga Verde that currently qualify for one and the same classification as a UNESCO World Heritage. Having passed the first stage of research and dissemination of both sets, it is necessary to consider further actions for the conservation and management of these outdoor sites, so it requires a more precise documentation to allow for its review and provide the diagnosis and monitoring of the evolution of the prints. There is a brief review of the methods of reproduction and raises the potential of newer technologies that should be associated with the development of related databases. Palabras clave Arte paleolítico; aire libre; Patrimonio Mundial; técnicas de reproducción;

Portvgalia, 2018

We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-fi... more We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the Pre-boreal is perfectly assured by the stratigraphic origin of the pieces. The technical and stylistic attributes of the figures are similar to some of the rock art of the Côa valley, making the collection an important chronological referent to a vast number of engraved and painted panels of the region. Those technical and stylistic attributes are also similar to others from Southwest Europe that are dated from the end of the Late glacial period, which denotes the affiliation of this rock art facies in a graphic tradition of a broader geographic range.

Estudos Pré-históricos, 2017

We have tried to understand the degree of homogeneity of the so-called group of Viseu of megalith... more We have tried to understand the degree of homogeneity of the so-called group of Viseu of megalithic art, now that thirty years have elapsed since the its identification. To achieve this goal, we have started by compiling all the information regarding these monuments. The graphic repertoire of all of the decorated peninsular megalithic monuments, including the ones of the Viseu region, was analysed via " Simple Correspondence Analysis ". This analysis has shown that there is no graphic homogeneity in the group of monuments of the Viseu region. The analysis has revealed, on the other hand, the existence of two variants of megalithic art in the Iberian Peninsula: one concentrated in its northwestern corner and other on the south. Both of these variants co-exist in the Viseu region. However, seven monuments of the Viseu region are not integrated by the analysis in any of those two variants. That should be seen as a result of the confluence of the two variants in the same region. But our analysis has also revealed a strong uniformity of the peninsular megalithic art as a whole, which suggests that the two identified variants are local materializations of a common ideology of (at least) Iberian scope.

Une vue sur la rivière Côa

This text presents a synthesis of what is known of Palaeolithic rock art in Portugal. We observe,... more This text presents a synthesis of what is known of Palaeolithic rock art in Portugal. We observe, in Portugal, a great graphic homogeneity in pre-Magdalenian rock art and considerable differences between the southern and northern rock art during the Magdalenian. However, during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, we recognize a new process of homogenization of Portuguese rock art. This evolution is, nevertheless, perfectly explained when we take into account the wider Iberian context of Upper Palaeolithic rock art.

Dólmen1deChãodoBrinco(serradoMontemuro,concelhodeCinfães,freguesiadeS.CristovãodeNogueira): pintu... more Dólmen1deChãodoBrinco(serradoMontemuro,concelhodeCinfães,freguesiadeS.CristovãodeNogueira): pinturasegravurasemtrêsesteiosdacâmaramegalítica