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Imagens de animais no Ms. 1 Azul da Academia das Ciências de Lisboa: coerência simbólica e estímulo à reflexão
Publication . Dias, Isabel de Barros
Estudo de um conjunto de iluminuras com representações de animais existentes no ms. 1 Azul da Crónica de 1344, atualmente na Academia da Ciências de Lisboa. Defende-se que estas imagens (que têm sido consideradas e estudadas sobretudo pela sua vertente decorativa) transportam uma carga semântica significativa que interpelaria o público que observasse o códice e tivesse capacidade exegética para o ler em todas as suas dimensões. Para atestar esta posição, as imagens são trianguladas com o texto da crónica e com os significados atribuídos a esses animais em bestiários, livros das aves e na tradição bíblica. Numa primeira parte, estuda-se a coerência da presença de
imagens de uma determinada criatura (o dragão) em pontos-chave da narrativa, funcionando como dispositivos de alerta para momentos mais fraturantes da história peninsular (pecados, dissensões, invasões). Seguidamente, na segunda parte, são apresentadas leituras holísticas de dois quadros, formados pelo códice aberto. Nestes fólios, existem imagens de animais diversificados, como leões, águias, cães, carneiros, cervos e leopardos, que, tendo em conta a sua dimensão simbólica, mostram ter uma valência de estímulos, enquanto promotores de reflexões sobre temas éticos e morais, de caráter abstrato, no que se refere à profundidade semântica atribuída aos animais, mas que também encontram uma certa concretização nos episódios relatados pelo texto da crónica. Os resultados do estudo permitem ressaltar a pertinência da aplicação desta chave interpretativa.
As primeiras ferramentas produzidas no território português há mais de um milhão de anos
Publication . Cardoso, João Luis
The issue of pre-Acheulean archaic industries, or, to use more rigorous terminology, the Oldowan (name derived from the Oldowan Gorge in Tanzania), has a long history in Portuguese territory, with some of the findings made so far being somewhat uncertain, given the lack of radiometric dating of the respective sediments and of coeval fauna, which could contribute to establishing the chronology of the geological formations in question, which have not been preserved due to the geochemical nature of the terrain.
The following paragraphs will present a summary of the knowledge, identifying the main sites and associated artefacts, which constitute relevant elements for the critical analysis of the issue, based on the available observational data.
Os Neandertais e a emergência dos humanos anatomicamente modernos no território português
Publication . Cascalheira, João; Cardoso, João Luis
The Neanderthal presence in Portugal is well documented, with anthropological remains in several karst caves. Their presence extends from around 200,000 to around 40,000 years ago.
For a long time, it was considered that anatomically modern humans would only have reached the center and south of the Peninsula around 34,000 years ago. This absence was explained by the difficulty of adapting to local conditions and by the still active presence of Neanderthals. Thus, the less accessible territories would have functioned as the last strongholds of these populations. Portugal, Mediterranean Spain, Greece and Italy frequently appear as examples of this trend.
In the specific case of the Iberian Peninsula, the model called the “Ebro frontier” has been proposed by some researchers as a biogeographic line located in the Ebro valley that would have separated the two human populations for millennia. However, this model has been the target of increasing opposition. Problems with radiocarbon dating and divergences in the results obtained for the various sites that supported the model have recently raised doubts about the validity of this division.
However, this vision of stable territories exclusively inhabited by Neanderthals until the late arrival of modern humans has recently been challenged. One of the most significant pieces of evidence comes from Lapa do Picareiro, in central Portugal. Excavations at this site have revealed lithic assemblages attributed to the Early Aurignacian, associated with anatomically modern humans, directly dated to between approximately 41,100 and 38,100 calibrated years before present (cal BP). These results, obtained through high-resolution dating techniques, represent some of the strongest evidence for the early presence of modern humans in central Portugal.
What makes Picareiro especially important is not only its chronology but also its geographic and cultural context. Located south of the proposed “Ebro Frontier,” the site challenges the idea of a long-standing geographic separation between Neanderthals and modern humans on the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally, Aurignacian occupations at Bajondillo (Andalusia), with even earlier dates, reinforce this scenario of a rapid and early dispersal of our species across southwestern Europe.
Although these interpretations have faced criticism, particularly regarding the stratigraphic associations between materials and dates, the growing body of recent data points to a more complex mosaic of transitions. This suggests that the replacement of Neanderthals by modern humans was not a sudden or geographically linear process, but rather one marked by chronological overlaps, intermittent occupations, and different ecological adaptation strategies.
Thus, the archaeological record from Lapa do Picareiro is currently a key piece in the debate on the emergence of anatomically modern humans in Portugal. It not only provides one of the earliest chronologies for their presence south of the Ebro but also integrates Portugal into a broader narrative of mobility, cultural diversity, and demographic complexity during the initial phases of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.
As comunidades do pós-glaciário do vale do Tejo: um exemplo de adaptação de sucesso às alterações climáticas
Publication . Gonçalves, Célia; Cardoso, João Luis
The Muge shell middens, located approximately 60 kilometers upstream from the current Tagus estuary, are an important testament to the adaptive capacity of human communities to the climate changes that occurred at the beginning of the Holocene, about 11,700 years ago, a period that marked the end of the last great glaciation.
Recent studies indicate that, about 8,000 years ago, these estuarine areas were already partially flooded by the sea, like the Tagus estuary, creating humid environments rich in natural resources, including fish, molluscs and a great diversity of terrestrial fauna. These conditions attracted groups of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, who began to intensively exploit these resources.
Os primeiros metalurgistas no sul peninsular
Publication . Soares, António; Cardoso, João Luis
Copper was the first metal to be intentionally obtained, with the first manifestations of its metallurgy appearing in the archaeological record in contexts of the Portuguese territory dating back to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. On the other hand, taking into account the sets of artefacts and contexts associated with these remains, it becomes possible to determine the function and use of copper. It is thus possible to infer and/or interpret, on solid grounds, the impact of metallurgy on the development of human communities, since the earliest times of the emergence and use of the metal.