The Outeiro do Circo Project will be present at the 30th Annual Congress of the European Association of Archaeologists, taking place in Rome, between the 28th and 31st of August 2024.
The project based in Beja, whose main objective is the study and dissemination of the Bronze Age fortified settlement of Outeiro do Circo, saw its communication proposal for the work “Tracing lithic raw materials from Outeiro do Circo (Beja, Beja, Portugal) – portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) utility”, written by Sofia Soares, Teresa Silva, Miguel Serra, Eduardo Porfírio and Sofia Silva.
The submitted document focuses on the geochemical characterization of lithic artefacts, mostly sickle denticulate, through the use of portable X-ray Fluorescence equipment and its comparison with the results obtained by other methods, with the aim of identifying the “fingerprints” chemicals that make it possible to relate lithic artefacts to the types of rock in the region.
This study is the result of collaboration with the National Energy and Geology Laboratory – LNEG, carried out by Sofia Soares, scientific consultant for the Outeiro do Circo Project in the area of geology.
Outeiro do Circo is characterized by occupying an elongated hill, with a maximum elevation of 276 m. Its structural element, which gives it greater prominence, corresponds to an impressive wall that almost entirely delimits it, defining an occupied area of around 17 hectares, which makes it one of the largest settlements of this period in the Iberian peninsula.
Photo: Outeiro do Circo Project
Tags: Outeiro Circo Project takes Geology Archeology Alentejo Rome
