Archaeological Circuit of Castro da Cola, Ourique

Settlement
of Fernão Vaz

Coordinates

37º33'38.04"N / 8º16'29.73"O

Free access

Reception and Interpretation Centre
Visits to this centre are free.
It closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, January 1, Easter Sunday, and December 25.
Summer (May 1 to September 15) – 9.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m. / 3 p.m.-6.30 p.m.
Winter (September 16 to April 30) – 9.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m. / 2 p.m. -5.30 p.m.

About

Settlement of Fernão Vaz

The Settlement of Fernão Vaz, located on a small hill North of the Mira River, has been partially excavated. Although the designation “settlement” evokes the idea of a small village, in this case, the evidence points to a site where a structure, apparently a single-family house, was built. 

Two occupational phases were identified in this archaeological site: during the first, chronologically dated from the Iron Age (8th B.C. to 4th B.C.), a large structure with several rooms, a courtyard and a storage area was built; and in the second, placed in the Middle Ages (11th to 13th century), still in the Islamic period, a small residential unit was built. This new construction used parts of the Iron Age structures in its foundations, which are still partially preserved.

Plan: courtesy of Ourique City Council

Access

Prepare your visit

The archaeological circuit has a Reception and Interpretation Centre near the Church of Nossa Senhora da Cola. It can be visited by people with reduced mobility (wheelchairs, baby strollers). 

For more information, contact

colaassociacao@gmail.com / cacmb.ourique@gmail.com

Jorge Silva – 963090894

 

Reduced mobility

The archaeological site of Alcaria 2 is not accessible to people with reduced mobility (wheelchairs, baby strollers), and there are no guided tours available.

Children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Cautionary Note

Access to this archaeological site is facilitated by the owner of the land where it is located. Keep that in mind when you visit the site, respecting it and contributing to its cleanliness, maintenance, and preservation.

IMAGES GALLERY

Photographic Archive of DRCAlentejo & Ourique City Council

Support
RESEARCH

Bibliography & useful links

Bibliography

ARRUDA, Ana Margarida (2001). A Idade do Ferro pós-orientalizante no Baixo Alentejo. In Revista Portuguesa de Arqueologia, vol. 3, nº 2. Instituto Português de Arqueologia, Lisboa, pp. 207-291. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo → [Consultado a 22/05/2023].

BEIRÃO, Caetano de Mello; CORREIA, Virgílio Hipólito (1991). A cronologia do Povoado de Fernão Vaz (Ourique, Beja). Conimbriga, 30, pp. 5-11. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo →  [Consultado a 23/05/2023].

BEIRÃO, Caetano de Mello; CORREIA, Virgílio Hipólito (1994). Novos dados arqueológicos sobre a área de Fernão Vaz. In MANGAS, Julio; ALVAR, Jaime (eds.), Homenaje a José Maria Blázquez, vol. 1, Ediciones Clásicas, Madrid, pp. 285-302. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo →  [Consultado a 23/05/2023].

CORREIA, Susana; ALFENIM, Rafael (2001). Circuito Arqueológico da Cola. In Património / Estudos, n.º 1, Instituto Português do Património Arquitetónico, Lisboa, pp. 54-55.

CORREIA, Virgílio Hipólito (1999). Algumas considerações sobre os centros de poder na Proto-História do Sul de Portugal. In Revista de Guimarães, Volume especial – Actas do Congresso de Proto-História Europeia, Sociedade Martins Sarmento, Guimarães, pp. 699-714. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo →  [Consultado em 02/06/2023].

CORREIA, Virgílio Hipólito; PARREIRA, Rui (2002). Roteiros da Arqueologia Portuguesa, 8 – Cola. Circuito Arqueológico. Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (IPPAR), Lisboa, pp. 40-43.

CORREIA, Virgílio Hipólito (2007). Fernão Vaz. Um caso de estudo da paisagem rural do sudoeste no período orientalizante. In DÍAZ RODRÍGUEZ, Alonso; PAVÓN SOLDEVILA, Ignacio (coord.), Arqueología de la tierra: paisages rurales de la protohistoria peninsular: VI cursos de verano internacionales de la Universidad de Extremadura (Castuera, 5-8 de julio de 2005), Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, pp. 189-202. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo →  [Consultado a 22/05/2023].

SOARES, António M. Monge; ARRUDA, Ana Margarida (2017). A cronologia de radiocarbono para a Idade do Ferro Orientalizante no território português. Uma leitura crítica dos dados arqueométricos e arqueológicos. In BARCELÓ, J. A.; BOGDANOVIC, I.; MORELL, B. (eds.), IberCrono 2016, Cronometrías para la Historia de la Península Ibérica (Chronometry for the History of the Iberian Peninsula). Actas del Congreso de Cronometrías para la Historia de la Península Ibérica, Barcelona, 17-19 de octobre 2016, CEUR, Barcelona, pp. 235-259. Disponível em: Consultar Artigo Completo →  [Consultado em 23/05/2023].