Also known as: Povoado Pré-Histórico de Santa Vitória
Climb the metal staircase which spirals 4 meters above the hilltop. Look around at the surrounding countryside: the farms, the nearby town, the water works behind you. Then look down at the hilltop surface. Look closely. There, carved into the ground are curving ditches and holes. They don’t look like much, but they are the remnants of a settlement that was built here over five thousand years ago. It’s hard to see the details, but it’s easy to imagine that this high ground with a commanding view of the surroundings would have made a good place for people to live and feel protected.
These ditches are moats that were dug into the rock around a settlement dating back to around 3,000 BCE. The holes were dug for cisterns, granaries, dwelling spaces, etc. This site is one of a series of ditch enclosures found in Portugal, the first one to be identified and excavated. Archaeologists from ERA-Arqueólogia did an extensive study of it during the years 2018-20221.
Unfortunately, the structure of the site is not very clear to the untrained eye. There used to be a welcoming signboard (photo below) but it has become completely illegible. The watchtower does provide good views, but the information panels that it had are gone.
Another lost information panel included an image suggesting what the site had originally looked like, including the palisades that had been built up on the inside of the surrounding moat:
It’s a shame that there isn’t more information at the site, because it’s a place rich with prehistory. The location was occupied in at least two phases, covering long stretches of time. In the first phase, the defensive moats were dug around the site: two concentric lines (and a possible third). The defence system was complemented by the palisades inside the central moat. The various pits dug returned many artefacts including ceramics, loom weights, and cheese moulds, suggesting a rich cultural life. In the second phase of occupation, the moat was filled and more structures were built on stone foundations.
There are a series of sites around Portugal, characterised by ditch enclosures. The most interesting, perhaps, is the complex at Perdigões which is not a settlement but seems to be a ritual gathering place. Others show occupation and may be related. Archaeologists are presently studying several of these sites and working on an organized way of preserving and grouping them.
Location
The site is in the Alentejo (Alto Alentejo), in the district of Portalegre. It’s in the municipality of Campo Maior. It’s on a hill just outside of the town of Campo Maior.
Access
It’s easy to get to, a short drive off the main road. It’s easy to walk around the grounds, and there is an elevated tower that gives you panoramic views of the site and of the town of Camp Maior.
Signage
There’s a signpost directing you to the site just outside Campo Maior, on the road to Elvas.
Links
- Entry (in English) from the Megalithic Portal
- Article (in English) from Turismo Arqueológico do Alentejo (a project of the University of Évora)
- Description (in Portuguese) (with photos of lost signs including the diagram plaque) from Visitar Portugal
- Description (in Portuguese) from the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
- Description (in Portuguese) from Archaeologist’s Portal of Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
- Designation (in Portuguese) as a Site of Public Interest by the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
Nearby
There are many prehistoric sites in the area, although not all are visitable. The nearest easily accessible site is the Anta da Coutada de Barbacena, about 30km away. There are also wonderful rock paintings about 35km away (towards Arronches) at Abrigo de Vale de Junco.
References:
- Valera, António Carlos, and Ana Catarina Basílio. “ERA Monografia 7: Santa Vitória (Campo Maior, Portalegre). O “Primeiro” Recinto de Fossos.” ERA Arqueólogia, 2023 https://www.era-arqueologia.pt/publicacoes/78 Accessed 19 Nov. 2024. ↩︎
- Mareco, Patricia Sofia Rasgado. Sítios Arqueológicos de Interpretação, Em Portugal – Alentejo E Algarve. 28 June 2007, repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/handle/1822/7252. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024. ↩︎