Castanheiro do Vento July 2007 - some more images of a new campaign of excavations

The hill of Castanheiro do Vento seen from the Senhora do Viso's chaptel, a higher point in the vicinity of the site, to the north of it. Probably, the hill itself was the main feature built in the landscape, in order to be seen from different standpoints.

The flat surface of the inner, higher part of the site: product of a deep work on the bedrock by prehistoric people... and in that sense part of their "architectural plan" as we would say today...
But also this flat surface is the result of centuries of traditional agriculture ("primitive" kind of ploughing).

The so called "bastion V" in background, and, in front of us, the wall that connects the sourthern part of the inner precinct with the so called "tower", to the north. This wall is very dammaged by traditional agricultural activity.

"Bastion" V and adjacent walls and structures. In a sort of "horror vacui", all the area is full of structures (mainly round ones), and they are not all of the same moment, obviously.
In the III and in the first part of the II mill. BC site was certainly in a (almost) permanent state of transformation.

A view of part of the team working. Videos of this work may be found is this blog.

Aspect of the so called "tower" (a "bastion" later transformed into a more complex set of structures?) , in the northern area of the inner precinct. The resolution of many questions related to this huge structure is crucial to the understanding of the site. In first plan, stones which were a part of the structure of buttress that sorrounded the exterior of the sub-circular "tower". The magnitude of this reinforcement make us think that the structure could have been a real "monument inside the monument", its core area.

At least an entrance exists to what was for a certain time an inner space of the "tower", before its filling with stones. The photo shows part of its wall (a very well conserved one). But we still have much to observe in order to see clearly what is this whole structure about...

We hope to have material conditions to pursue our research in 2008.
We admit volunteers in our excavations.


Fotos VOJ
Direction of excavations: VOJ, JM, AV, GLV.