Syllabus/Directives of Excavation

2005 Excavation at the

Funerary Monument of Carcavelos, Loures, Portugal

Directors, Rui Boaventura, Archaeologist, Adj. Lecturer, University of Louisville                        Florabela Estevão, Archaeologist, Township of Loures

Dolmen of Carcavelos

The dolmen of Carcavelos is situated in the township of Loures, located in the region of Lisbon, Portugal. This type of funerary monument dates to between the fourth and third millennium B.C.E., and was built by Neolithic people. It is one of the last dolmens from this area that has yet to be subjected to a scientific and thorough excavation. A recent probe at this tomb, conducted to determine the extent of damage due to looting, recovered some human bones associated with arrowheads, pots, beads and limestone idols.

Excavation Objectives

The excavation planned for July-August of 2005 aims to verify the material culture associated with this dolmen as much as what kind of individuals were buried inside, i.e. men, women, children. In addition to this, we will try to determine when the dolmen was erected and for how long it was in use.

In order to understand the architecture of this tomb the excavation will be carried out in the areas of the chamber and corridor, as well as verifying the type of mound that once covered it. The excavation will be accompanied by a physical anthropologist, Nathalie Antunes, as we certainly expect to uncover skeletal remains.

In addition to scientific aims, this excavation promises to educate participants and incorporate the entire crew into the every day activities and responsibilities of an on-going excavation. An introduction to field techniques/fieldwork (survey & excavation), architectural and spatial analysis, excavation methodology, planning, context recording, section drawing & drafting, finds processing and cataloguing, as well as the analysis of finds will be thoroughly explained during the course of the excavation.

Crewmember’s Responsibilities and Learning Objectives

Students and participants will be working from Monday to Friday, July 5^th – August 6^th, excavating at the site.  Lab work may take place during excavation hours but there may be a need, occasionally, to conduct lab work outside of the normal excavating hours.  This depends on the amount of material that is unearthed during the excavation.  Crewmembers will be excavating under the direct supervision of the director, or field director, and will be taught proper methods for using tools in the field (troweling, picking and shovelling).  Also, crewmembers will be taking their own notes and instructed how to describe and record data properly as well as how to excavate, and record their findings, using the Barker-Harris open field methodology. If students have had no former exposure to this methodology, it will be explained in due course of the excavation.  In addition to the scientific aims, this excavation promises to educate participants and incorporate the entire crew into the every day activities and responsibilities of an on-going excavation.  An introduction to field techniques and fieldwork (survey & excavation), architectural and spatial analysis, excavation methodology, planning, context recording, section drawing & drafting, finds processing and cataloguing, as well as the analysis of finds will be explained during the course of the excavation. The proper methodology for excavating and exhuming skeletal remains will be explained, demonstrated and reinforced during the course of the excavation.

Students will visit archaeological sites in the region Lisbon and Évora in order to compliment what is being taught during lab time and in the field.

A certificate of participation, and a critique of performance, can be supplied for crewmembers in order to meet any educational requirements.

[Portanta] [Dental Anthropology] [Herdade da Sapatoa] [Dolmen of Carcavelos] [application] [costs] [syllabus] [lodging] [crew forms] [Roman Ceramics] [What is Portanta?] [Biographies] [What to Bring]