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Description
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The main idea for this project was based on the notion that in the last 20 years, Palaeolithic Archaeology in Portugal has produced some of the most revolutionary and important sites in the world (e.g., Côa Valley Palaeolithic rock art; Lagar Velho child-burial and the 400,000-year-old human skull from Aroeira cave). Nonetheless, the hiatus visible in the map of geographical distribution of these sites is obvious and mean nothing but lack of research and not an absence of human settlement in the past. In the last 10 years, archaeological activity (preventive or research oriented) in Palaeolithic sites stands for less than 5% of all archaeological activity registered on the national database Endovélico, Information and Archaeological Management System Culture Heritage Portugal, Ministry of Culture).This is partly due to the reduced number of University Archaeology departments with expertise in Palaeolithic and to the absence of academic training in Geoarchaeology (site formation processes applying Geology and Geomorphology concepts) and in lithic studies. This deficit in human resources originates insufficient knowledge of Palaeolithic and has serious implications at the level of time and money spent in Preventive Archaeology, given the «sudden discovery» of these Palaeolithic sites in the last phases of infrastructural projects such as river dams, highways, etc. Given that 95% of archaeological activity in Portugal is guaranteed by Private Companies, with a total private investment of between 500.000 and 1 million Euros a year, it is these private companies that need to developed skills to identify, excavate and study Palaeolithic sites. Hence, the present project is designed to fulfil a series of gaps in Palaeolithic Archaeology in Portugal and we propose: a) to develop a program of specialized training, in order to encourage better relations between Archaeology entrepreneurs and universities, by disseminating theoretical knowledge and developing technical field protocols; b) to analyse Palaeolithic sites previously excavated in the context of Preventive Archaeology; c) to compare and cross data on site location, type of geological and geomorphological contexts, using GIS and predictive models for archaeological potential mapping (showing high-susceptibility areas for the preservation of sedimentary packages containing Palaeolithic occupations). This land use planning instrument can help archaeologists working in Preventive Archaeology to ensure faster identification of sites, improving performance of archaeological interventions and reducing the economic impact for developers. This project?s results may also be useful for updating museum contents in subjects such as prehistoric occupation and specifically the Palaeolithic, thus encouraging cultural tourism, seeking a closer relationship with the communities and fulfilling the social responsibilities of archaeological science.
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