The Middle Palaeolithic of S. Julião da Barra, in the mouth of the Tagus river

Abstract

The Middle Palaeolithic of S. Julião da Barra, in the mouth of the Tagus river. Within the scope of the Measures of Minimization of Archaeological Impacts, Neoépica, Lda. was contracted to carry out a set of archaeological surveys in the future University Campus of Carcavelos. Implemented on a plot of land between the S. Julião Fort and S. Gonçalo Farm, partly located in the Oeiras Municipality, ten surveys pits were carried out, in order to make a diagnosis of the archaeological potential of this area. In 3 of contiguous surveys, a sedimentary deposit was identified, related to a Tirrenian sea level, characterized by a thin, residual layer of quartzite pebbles, as well as basaltic elements. The group of stone artefacts is dominated by quartzitic pebbles, where the simple, uni and bifacial exploration prevails, with the presence of the levallois technique, justifies the attribution of the whole set to the Middle Palaeolithic.