Der Muschelhaufen von Cabeço de Amoreira in Muge, Portugal. Ergebnisse der archäologischen Arbeiten des letzten Jahrzehnts (2007–2017)

Abstract

The research on the last Holocene hunter-gatherers in Portugal has mainly focused on the study of the mesolithic shellmiddens of the Tagus valley, and it is well documented the important role played by the Portuguese researchers in the european Prehistory since the second half of the 19th century. Among the reasons that may be at the core of this interest by the national and international academic community is the size of these archaeological sites and the high number of human skeletons exhumed to this day. Since its discovery in 1864, the Mesolithic shellmidden of Cabeço da Amoreira has been the only intervened to this date, albeit intermittently, and has consequently contributed more relevant data to the establishment of inferences about the mode of life of the human communities that inhabited and explored the region of the Tagus valley between c. 8000 and 7500 BP, allowing to explore simultaneously relevant aspects related to the neolithic issue of central Portugal. The archaeological works of the last decade (2007–2017), coordinated by Nuno Bicho, have focused not only on the southwest zone of the shellmidden but also on the surrounding areas in order to study stratigraphy, spatial organization, chronology and other cultural traits, including lithic technology and subsistence. In this text we present a summary of the last decade of work in the archaeological site, focusing on aspects related to the objectives, methodologies, but mainly the most relevant results and interpretations taken from them.