Outurela I and Outurela II, two small Iron Age settlements north of the Tagus estuary

Abstract

Outurela I and II are to two small Iron Age settlements, located in low altitudes, separated by only 500 m, apparently focused in agricultural and husbandry activities. The archaeological fieldwork that took place during the 80's allowed the recovery of a significant set of artifacts, mostly ceramics. The thorough study of these materials and its comparative analyses with data available from other sites in the Tagus estuary, enable us to verify a strong connection among them (both with similar low altitude sites and with main riverside settlements as, for example, Lisbon). The existence of a considerable dense settlement network during the 5th and 4th centuries BC becomes evident, even if its origin may be related by links of either cooperation or subordination. On the other hand, the available data seems to indicate a relative antiquity of Outurela II in view of Outurela I, even if its contemporaneity is clear during the 5th century BC.