Castro de Chibanes
The Castro de Chibanes is located on a hill of the (known during the Arab occupation as Alcaria) Arrábida Natural Park in the mountains of Serra do Louro in Palmela in the district of Setubal in Portugal . It is a prehistoric fortification that dates back to the Chalcolithic in the 3rd millennium BC. And was used from the Iron Age to the Roman Empire .
The Castro was built on a thriving economy in the area, although hunting and tidal fishing in the estuaries are documented. The metallurgy of copper was part of the craft. It is estimated that the size of the walled area was about 1.0 hectare during prehistory. The people of Chibanes may have buried their dead in the nearby Grutas da Quinta do Anjo necropolis .
The earliest use of the Castro goes back to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age . This part of the fortress was relatively badly damaged. Presumably temporarily abandoned, it was used again from the second half of the Iron Age (3rd and 2nd centuries BC) to Roman times due to the geostrategic conditions .
The usage phases
In order to facilitate the understanding and the archaeological framework of the site, it is necessary to divide the use into three phases:
Phase I.
Chalcolithic and older Bronze Age. During the older and middle periods, a wall with semicircular bastions was built. The wall then appears to have been partially destroyed. Many structures were erected during this period, some of which were used in copper metallurgy.
Phase II
A) Iron Age 3rd century BC Chr.
The wall in the form of an arch with a length of about 300 meters was covered with round bastions , the course of which roughly coincides with that in the Chalcolithic. The walled area was densely built with square and rectangular buildings.
B) Roman period. Last quarter of the 2nd century BC BC to the first quarter of the 1st century BC Chr.
The wall, which was partly built over the landslides of the wall made in phase II, in a slightly thick circular arch shape (with a maximum thickness of about 0.80 m), apparently had the function of delimiting the village on the north slope rather than of defense. At the western end (maybe also in the east) a straight wall system was built, which forms a large bulwark. This was intended to defend access through the ridge of Louro.
Phase III
Roman Republican Period. Second quarter and middle of the 1st century BC Chr.
The buildings of phase II A) were redistributed and the bulwark at the west end was used for residential purposes.
The artifacts
There were artifacts found which helped to identify the three phases of use: Chalcolithic pottery, Beaker pottery, amphorae and painted ceramic tapes from the Iron Age , pottery from the last period of the Iron Age and the Roman period. All the finds made in the Chibanes area are in the National Museum of Archeology in Lisbon .
The remains of the village of Alto da Queimada are located near the village. Although the site can be attributed to a later era (Roman, Medieval and Islamic Middle Ages), this proves the geographical importance of the place in the Palmela region.
literature
- Thomas G. Schattner (Ed.): Archaeological guide through Portugal (= cultural history of the ancient world . Vol. 74). Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-8053-2313-1 p. 154
Web links
Coordinates: 38 ° 33 '50.1 " N , 8 ° 55' 5.7" W.