The iron age settlement of Terronha (Viana do Castelo, Northwestern Portugal): Analysis of ceramic and lithic materials in context

Abstract

This article’s main objective is to present some results of a study carried out in Castro de Terronha, located in the Union of Cardielos and Serreleis parishes, county and district of Viana do Castelo, North of Portugal. This settlement was discovered and excavated in 2000 by the archeology company Perennia Monumenta under the scientific direction of Francisco Queiroga. The text focuses on the analysis of structures and indigenous ceramic and lithic remains discovered in sector A. The seven circular structures under study correspond to probable housing structures. Three of them have a vestibule attached. These would be about 5–6 m in diameter—a device of reasonable quality. Also found was a section of wall that ends abruptly, adjoining a great outcrop. Most of the ceramic specimens in articulation with the architectures revealed numerous similarities in morphological, technical and decorative terms with that of the Late Iron Age and the beginnings of Romanization in the Cávado Basin River. The set of remains suggests this settlement was involved in subsistence activities, metallurgy and trade.