The antiquity of man’s research in Portugal during the nineteenth century. A contribution to the History of Science

Abstract

After tracing the history of the emergence of Prehistory studies on a scientific basis in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, a synthesis of the archaeological research in Portugal is presented. These studies may be seen mainly as result of excavations carried out in caves and open air deposits, particularly in those of the Somme valley by Boucher de Perthes. In Portugal too the importance given to these findings was remarkable for the development of field research that in the near future, led to the first of scientific publications conducted by geologists of the 2nd Geological Commission Portugal (1857-1868). This remarkable boost in the investigation of the latest archaeological evidence continued for about 25 years, culminating in the holding in Lisbon of the 9th session of the International Congress of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archaeology in September 1880.