Territórios neolíticos no Alentejo Central (Portugal): Estratégias de implantação

Abstract

The development, during the last two decades, of systematic archaeological surveys and excavations, related to measures for minimizing negative impacts as well as research projects, has allowed us to learn more about the territories preferred by the Neolithic populations in inland Alentejo, and thus to refute traditional theories put forward during the 1970s and the 1980s. The many habitat locations, identified as being part of the initial phases of the Neolithic period through the artefacts recovered, are located in areas with very specific geomorphologic characteristics. In this work, we present a summary of the available information about this region, while defining the main settlement areas and reflecting on their functional materiality and the issues related to their characterization.