inacio et al 2014 lousal libre asturias edu

XIV Congreso sobre Patrimonio Geológico y Minero. Castrillón (Asturias), 2013. LIBRO DE ACTAS DEL

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THE MEGALITHISM IN LOUSAL: AN EXAMPLE OF VALORISATION OF MINING, GEOLOGICAL AND

ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE

EL MEGALITISMO EN LOUSAL: UN EXEMPLO DE PUESTA EN VALOR DEL PATRIMONIO MINERO, GEOLÓGICO Y

ARQUEOLÓGICO

N. INÁCIO(1,2), T.FERREIRA(2), M. OLIVEIRA (2), A.M.M. PINTO (2,3), J.M.R.S. RELVAS (2,4)

(1) DEPARTAMENTO DE PREHISTORIA, UNIVERSIDADE DE HUELVA

[email protected] (2) CENTRO CIÊNCIA VIVA DO LOUSAL,

[email protected]; [email protected] (3) CREMINER/LARSYS, MUSEU NACIONAL DE HISTÓRIA NACIONAL E CIÊNCIA,

[email protected] (4) CREMINER/LARSYS, FACULDADE DE CIÊNCIAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE LISBOA,

[email protected]

ABSTRACT: In the region of Lousal approximately two dozen megalithic monuments are inventoried. These testimonies lead us to times dating back about 5000 years ago, when communities built large megalithic tombs for their ancestors. Its construction and use have been coeval with the first mining activities in Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) and the fact that there were copper artefacts found inside, allowing establishing a genealogy for mining activities in the region. The “Ciência Viva” Centre of Lousal, in collaboration with the local authorities, has promoted a number of initiatives aiming to enhance and protect this vast megalithic heritage. Recreational and educational activities developed under the motto Explore Science, Extract Knowledge and Perpetuate Memories, include the establishment of an archaeological circuit called Lousal GeoMegalítico. These activities aim to promote the geological and archaeological heritage of the IPB, involving an integrated approach aspect as diverse as regional geology and geomorphology, the geoarchaeology, or human geography and social economy associated with the exploration, processing and sharing of resources and non-metallic metal by local communities. Through the enhancement of geological, historical and mining Lousal, we intend to add a gain scientific and cultural contributing both to local development and socioeconomic rehabilitation of the territory. KEYWORDS: Iberian Pyrite Belt, Interdisciplinary Heritage Valorisation, Archaeological circuit. RESUMEN: En la región de Lousal se encuentran inventariadas aproximadamente dos docenas de monumentos megalíticos que remontan hace unos 5000 años, cuando las comunidades construyeron grandes tumbas para sus ancestros. Su construcción y utilización han sido coetáneas a las primeras actividades mineras y metalúrgicas en la Faja Pirítica Ibérica (FPI). Además, el hecho de que han sido documentados artefactos de cobre en el ajuar funerario de algunas tumbas permite el establecimiento de una genealogía de las actividades mineras en la región. El Centro “Ciencia Viva” de Lousal, en colaboración con las autoridades municipales, ha promovido una serie de iniciativas direccionadas a la puesta en valor del patrimonio megalítico de la región. Las actividades recreativas y educativas desarrolladas bajo el lema Explotar Ciencia, Extraer Conocimiento y Perpetuar Memorias, ha incluído el diseño de un circuito arqueológico llamado Lousal GeoMegalítico. Estas actividades tienen como objetivo promover el patrimonio geológico y arqueológico de la FPI, relacionando aspectos tan diversos como la


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geología regional, la geomorfología, la geoarqueologia, la geografía humana y la economía social asociado a la explotación, procesamiento y distribución de los recursos metálicos y no metálicos. La puesta en valor del patrimonio geológico, histórico y minero del Lousal se ha convertido en una plusvalía científica y cultural que ha contribuido para el desarrollo local y la rehabilitación socio-económica del territorio. PALABRAS CLAVE: Faja Piritica Ibérica, Puesta en valor del património, Circuito arqueológico. INTRODUCTION

The Lousal mine constitutes nowadays a successful example of social and

economic rehabilitation of a closed mine in Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) (Relvas, et

al., 2012). After its closure in 1988, and less than ten years later, it was decided

to promote an integrated development program in Lousal, conceived by joint

efforts of the mine owner – the SAPEC Corporation – with the local authorities –

the Municipality of Grândola – leading to the creation of the Frédéric Velge

Foundation1. The success has gone to a great extent, due to the promotion of

geological, mining, industrial and archaeological heritages as guarantor of the

memory and identity of this village.

The RELOUSAL Project, which stands for REvitalization, REnewing, REcovery

and REhabilitation of community life in the Lousal village, encompasses several

complementary features. From these, it can be highlighted the reuse of the

industrial complex, equipment and objects of the old mine that accommodate

not only handicraft shops, restaurants, a charming Hotel, with positive impacts

of the program in terms of socioeconomic regeneration of the local community,

but also the Mining Museum and the Science Centre. The latter is inserted in a

national network of science centres called “Ciência Viva” that depend directly of

the National Government (Education and Science Ministry), through the

“Ciência Viva” Agency, and are run jointly with the Pavilion of Knowledge in

Lisbon, in collaboration with local authorities and Portuguese scientific

institutions and research community (Relvas et al., 2012). The “Ciência Viva”

Centre of Lousal - Mine of Science, inaugurated in 2010 (Fig. 1) was set up in a

building that was associated with the past activity of the mine (geology office,

warehouses, lanterns room, miners’ locker room and bathhouse). These

facilities were adapted in order to function as a space for the dissemination of

scientific and technological culture. The main goals of “Ciência Viva” Centre of

1 For more informations, see Oliveira et al. in this volume


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Lousal is promoting knowledge and education on science and technology,

mostly through attractive, hands-on, thought-provoking experiments, but also

through guided visits to the open-pit as well as bio and geo-field trips on the

surrounding mining area (Matos and Oliveira, 2003; Matos and Relvas, 2006,

Relvas et al., 2012).

Thus the main goal of this work is to express the efforts taken by the “Ciência

Viva” Centre of Lousal in collaboration with local authorities, on developing a

project of valuation, safeguarding, protection and promotion of the vast

megalithic phenomena of the region, establishing a link between the geological,

mining and archaeological heritages.

PHYSICAL AND GEOLOGICAL CONTEXT

The Lousal mine was installed in an important massive sulphide deposit of the

IPB, one of the major metallogenic provinces worldwide (Large and Blundell,

2000), extending for nearly 300 km from the southwestern coast of Portugal to

the Guadalquivir basin, in Spain (Fig. 2).

The IPB is included in the South Portuguese Zone (SPZ), one of the main

geotectonic units of the Variscan Orogen. The stratigraphy of this important

province generally includes three main units: the Phyllite-Quartzite Group (base

unknown to Upper Devonian), the submarine sedimentary and volcanic, felsic

dominated succession that constitutes the Volcanic-Sedimentary Complex

(VSC) which hosts mainly pyrite and chalcopyrite mineralizations (Upper

Devonian to Lower Carboniferous), and Baixo Alentejo Flysch Group (Lower to

Upper Carboniferous) (Silva et al., 1990; Oliveira et al. 2006; Pereira et al.

2008; Rosa et al., 2010).

The Mértola Formation (Oliveira, 1988), the oldest of the three units that

compose the Baixo Alentejo Flysch Group, is composed by turbidites,

consisting on graywackes, pelites and some intercalated conglomerate, being

the main lithology in the Lousal region. The pelites and graywackes outcrops,

stand out from the landscape, being the latter, the main lithology used in the

construction of tombs.

The megalithic phenomena in the region Lousal are distributed by the Mértola

formation in the eastern slopes of Grândola Moutain, a natural amphitheatre

with ample visibility to sedimentary deposits of Sado river basin.


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SOME BRIEF NOTES ABOUT MEGALITHIC TOMBS OF LOUSAL

The first concrete references to the existence of megalithic monuments in this

region are due to Antonio Francisco Pereira da Costa, that published, in 1868, a

vast corpus of dolmens of Portugal who had been presented one year before in

the Congress of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archaeology held in Paris (Costa,

1868). In this work, the author describes some of the region's monuments of

Lousal and Azinheira de Barros based on oral information.

Only at mid-twentieth century is possible to find new references to megalithic

heritage in Lousal. In April 1952, during prospecting works from Serviço de

Fomento Mineiro, Octavio da Veiga Ferreira and António Cavaco Rodrigues,

detected and further excavated the megalithic monument Lousal (Lousal 1)

(Ferreira and Cavaco, 1952). The same authors published a new paper in 1957,

which make known other monuments in this region (Lousal 2 and Lousal 3) and

near the village of Azinheira dos Barros (Monte das Boiças 1 or Anta da Pata

do Cavalo, Monte das Boiças 2 and the Monte das Boiças 3) (Ferreira and

Cavaco, 1957). In recent years, new monuments have been identified (Lousal

4, Lousal 5, Lousal 6 and Monte Serôdio), enhancing even more the scientific

importance of megalithic phenomena in the region (Inácio et al., 2013).

Currently, there are twelve inventoried megalithic monuments in the region,

among known cases, unpublished monuments and other with only bibliographic

information (Fig. 3). From these, it can be highlighted by its uniqueness findings

and monumentality the Lousal 1 and Pata do Cavalo tombs, both classified

since 1990 as Public Interest. Regarding the deployment of megalithic

monuments in the landscape, they follow a pattern clearly heterogeneous:

monuments created on pronounced hills (Monte Serôdio), on gentle slopes

(Lousal 5 and Pata do Cavalo), on spurs (Lousal 3, Lousal 6 and Monte

Branco), elevated platforms (Lousal 2 and Lousal 4) or valleys (Lousal 1).

The polymorphism evidenced by the architecture of the monuments is another

defining element of megalithism in the region. Thus, it is possible to observe

simple megalithic monuments (cist-tombs) with rectangular (Lousal 2 and Monte

das Boiças 3) or oval plan (Monte das Boiças 2), passage graves with

chambers formed by seven (Monte Serôdio) or nine orthostats (Pata do

Cavalo), and more complex passage graves, with secondary chamber, such as

the remarkable tomb of Lousal 1, making this a true paradigm of the megaliths


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of South of Portugal. Other (Monte Branco and Lousal 3), however, because

they had witnessed important amputation of its architectural elements, do not

allow major considerations in this regard. For the construction of these

monuments, graywacke slabs were used, extracted from the surrounding

outcrops, some weighing more than 1.5 ton. All of the tombs are integrated into

circular or oval mounds. It is not uncommon to observe the existence of

fragments of milky quartz blocks in the vicinity that have been used in its

construction.

However, despite the great heterogeneity observed in the landscape

deployments and architectural plans, these monuments share some features.

Firstly, the monuments location near the graywacke outcrops can be confused

with these natural elements, in a process of appropriation and mimicry.

However, this spatial approximation can also be interpreted as a logic

minimization effort in their construction. Similarly, the location of these tombs

along the water lines seems purposeful. In some cases, they are located close

to permanent water points, particularly small ponds formed by the presence of

groundwater. Thirdly, the presence of fragments of milky quartz in mounds and

its surroundings proves its use in order to enhance the visibility of monuments.

However, is not to dismiss, in some cases (Monte Serôdio, Lousal 2 and Lousal

5), the intentionality in location close to milky quartz veins outcrops.

Finally, all the monuments from the Lousal core area seem to keep a close

visual relationship with the gossan. These surface areas with a rather imposing

reddish colouring, corresponding to oxidation of polymetallic massive sulphides,

are landscape milestones that did not pass unnoticed by preterit communities.

Furthermore, in the case of the monument Lousal 1, this visual relationship with

the gossan is materialized by the incorporation of small nodules of red ochre

(Ferreira and Cavaco, 1952: 251) in deposits related with the funerary ritual.

In general, the features of artefacts exhumed in various excavated tombs

suggest a chronology of construction and use of these monuments between the

IV and III Millennium BCE.

LINKING HERITAGES

The megalithic heritage Lousal is part of the identity of this territory. They are

the testimonies of ancient communities that marked the landscape presently


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seen. The past and present have elements that unite them, and it is within this

dialectical relationship that we seek the history of these communities.

Recognising the strategic importance of the Lousal archaeological heritage, the

“Ciência Viva” Centre of Lousal, in collaboration with local authorities, has

developed a set of initiatives aimed at promotion the megalithic monuments,

under the motto Explore Science, Extract Knowledge and Perpetuate Memories

(Inácio et al., 2013).

The reasonable condition of a significant number of monuments determined the

selection of those cases likely to be targeted by initiatives that allow the

improvement of the presentation and valuation. Valuation is understood as a

implementation of a number of initiatives aiming at the enhancement of the

values of each monument, creating tools with a view to their individual and

collective perception, contributing, in parallel, to knowledge, preservation,

diffusion and public gratification.

The “Ciência Viva” Centre of Lousal was conceived for a large-spectrum

audience in terms of age, education, social or geographic origin. In this sense, a

circuit was designed archaeological called Lousal GeoMegalítico in strict

conjunction with geological and geomorphological characteristics of the region

(Fig. 5)

During the field trip, which may be accompanied by archaeologists and

geologists, visitors are invited to take a journey in time, watching some

peculiarities that emerge from the interaction of these tombs with its

surrounding landscape. Thus, it encourages each visitor to create their own

interpretive discourse through the development of sensory experiences related

to geodiversity. Therefore, it is intended to employ the concept of

interdisciplinary within the proposed recreational and educational activities

directed towards different audiences, establishing a link between geological,

mining and archaeological heritages of the region.

The archaeological circuit Lousal GeoMegalítico, encompasses 13 km,

including 6 stops at the megalithic tombs. The following main features are used

to explore the hinge between diverse heritages (Fig. 6):

Mimicry among some megalithic tombs and outcrops;


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Origin of raw materials (graywacke) used in the construction of

monuments (orthostats) and the possible locations of supply (outcrops).

Activities with visitors involving the macroscopic visualisation with a

magnifier and identification of different lithological features, such as

texture and composition of the graywacke;

Provenance of some artefacts. The fact that there have been found

copper artifacts in one of Lousal tombs allows us to establish a

genealogy for mining and metallurgical activities in this region;

The distribution of megalithic tombs on the landscape (valleys, spurs and

hills) and their relationship with the water lines and geomorphology of the

region (the IPB paleozoic landscape vs. mesozoic landscape of Sado

basin);

The visual relationship between the megalithic tombs and the gossans.

This symbolic interaction related to red colour of gossans is also

revealed in the incorporation of iron oxide (hematite) in the funerary

ritual;

Interaction with visitors (especially young and scholar people) to

calculate the weight of larger orthostats and the development of the

concepts of volume and density of rocks and objects.

HERITAGES AS MOTOR FOR LOCAL GROWTH

Along with the positive impacts of the program in terms of socioeconomic

regeneration of the local community driven by the reuse of the industrial old

mine complex buildings (handicraft shops, restaurants, a charming Hotel, along

others), the social and cultural rehabilitation is also an important part of the

implementation on the archaeological circuit, since the megalithic heritage

valuation was not been possible without the active participation of local people

in the process. This social commitment to the history and heritage plays a key

role in the construction of local identities and is an element of social cohesion.

For this reason, it is necessary to give back these sites to the public gratification

through recreational and educational initiatives that stimulate heritage

education.


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This effort to raise collective awareness is only possible if the Lousal

community, their legitimate heirs, can be converted in protagonists in this

process of recovery and protection. In fact, local population has made an

invaluable contribution in cleaning and recovery of megalithic monuments, as

well as in its inventory, which allowed the relocation of some tombs that were

thought destroyed and the identification of others unpublished (Fig. 7).

There is also a strong bet in adding value to this territory by promoting the

cultural and scientific tourism in the area (Martins and Matos, 2010). Tourism is

a fundamental piece for regional development in this part of the country, and the

authorities are committed in supporting initiatives that may potentiate a link

between the tourism of nature, heritage and mining legacy with the classic

coastal destinations. In the future, the integrate management of archaeological

heritage can only be effective if this process is enhanced by information coming

from research, integrating it into the scientific culture that proliferates around the

Lousal where several agencies and universities develop their research (see

bibliography contained in Relvas et al., 2012). This need for knowledge must be

addressed to provide documentation and empirical data to its correct historical

interpretation, since the information recovered during the archaeological survey

proved woefully inadequate and the data from the old excavations lack of

scientific rigor. Just getting to know the communities that built these monuments

will enable to perpetuate their memory, which in turn lead to public enjoyment of

the monuments and the history they contain.

REFERENCES

CARVALHO, D., BARRIGA, F.J.A.S., AND MUNHÁ, J. (1999): Bimodal-siliciclastic systems – the case of the Iberian Pyrite Belt, in Barrie, C.T. and Hannington, M.D. (eds.): Volcanic-associated massive Sulfide deposits: processes and examples in modern and ancient settings: Reviews in Economic Geology, V. 8, Society of Economic Geologists, Inc., pp. 375-408 COSTA, F. A. P. (1868): Notions sur l'état prehistorique de la terre et de l'homme suivies de la description de quelques dolmens ou antas du Portugal. Imprensa da Academia Real das Ciências, Lisboa. FERREIRA, O. V. and CAVACO, A. R. (1952): O monumento pré-histórico do Lousal, Grândola. Comunicações dos Serviços Geológicos de Portugal, vol. 33, pp. 247-255. FERREIRA, O. V. and CAVACO, A. R. (1957): Antiguidades do Lousal (Grândola). Sepulturas descobertas. Trabalhos de Antropologia e Etnologia, vol. 15, pp. 190-202.


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HUSTON, D., RELVAS, J.M.R.S., GEMMELL, B. and DRIEBERG, S. (2011): The role of granites in volcanic-hosted massive sulphide ore-forming systems: an assessment of magmatic-hydrothermal contributions to the ores. Mineralium Deposita, 46, pp. 473-508 INÁCIO, N., OLIVEIRA, M., FERREIRA, T. and ALEGRE, L. (2013): A valorização do Património megalítico do Lousal (Grândola). Arqueologia em Portugal: Actas do I Congresso da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses (150º Aniversário). Associação dos Arqueólogos Portuguese, pp. 203-209. LARGE, R.R. and BLUNDELL, D.L. (Eds.) (2000): Database on Global VMS districts. CODES-GEODE. MARTINS, L. and MATOS, J.X. (2010): Mining heritage in Portugal – the Iberian Pyrite Belt as tourist attraction. Bergau Folge Landschaft Konferenzdokumentation, Int. Bauausstellung Fürst-Pückler-Land 2000-2010, pp. 55-61. MATOS, J.X. and OLIVEIRA, V. (2003): Mina do Lousal (Faixa Piritosa Ibérica) – Percurso geológico e mineiro pelas cortas e galerias da antiga mina. IGME, Publicaciones Museo Geominero, nº2, pp. 117-128. MATOS, J.X. E RELVAS, J. (2006): Mina do Lousal (Faixa Piritosa Ibérica. Livro Guia da Excursão C.4.1 VII Congresso de Geologia, Universidade de Évora, pp.23-25. OLIVEIRA, J. T. (1988): Estratigrafia, sedimentologia e estrutura do flysch da Formação de Mértola, na região de Mértola. Comunicações Serviços Geológicos Portugal, 74, pp. 3-19 OLIVEIRA, J. and WAGNER, C. (1983): The Mértola and Mira formations boundary between Doguedo and Almada do Ouro, marine Carboniferous of South Portugal. In Lemos De Sousa, M.J. (ed.), Contributions to the Carboniferous Geology and Palaeontology of the Iberian Peninsula., pp. 1-39 OLIVEIRA, J.T., RELVAS, J., PEREIRA, Z., MATOS, J., ROSA, C., ROSA; D., MUNHÁ, J.M, JORGE, R. and PINTO, A. (2006): O Complexo Vulcano-Sedimentar da Faixa Piritosa: estratigrafia, vulcanismo, mineralizações associadas e evolução tectono-estratigráfica no contexto da Zona Sul Portuguesa. Dias, R., Araújo, A., Terrinha, P., Kullberg, J.C. (eds.): Geologia de Portugal no contexto da Ibéria. Universidade Évora, pp. 207-243. PEREIRA, Z., MATOS, J.X., FERNANDES, P. and OLIVEIRA J.T. (2008): Palynostratigraphy and Systematic Palynology of the Devonian and Carboniferous Successions of the South Portuguese Zone, Portugal. Memória 34 INETI, pp. 1-176. RELVAS, J., PINTO, A. and MATOS, J. (2012): Lousal, Portugal: a successful exemple of rehabilitation of a closed mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. SGA News, nº 31, pp. 6-16. ROSA, C.J.P., MCPHIE, J. and RELVAS, J.M.R.S. (2010): Type of volcanoes hosting the massive sulphide deposits of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 194, pp.107-126 SILVA, J.B., OLIVEIRA, J.T., and RIBEIRO, A. (1990): Structural outline of the South Portuguese Zone, in Dallmeyer, R.D., and Martinez Garcia (eds.), Pre-Mesozoic geology of Iberia: Berlin, Springer-Verlag, pp.348-362

FIGURES


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Figure 1. The “Ciência Viva” Centre of Lousal

Figure 2. General geology of the Iberian pyrite belt and location of the Lousal deposit and other massive sulphide deposits (modified after Carvalho et al.,

1999 and Huston et al., 2011)


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Figure 3. Location of the megalithic monuments of Lousal area in the Military map. Legend: 1 –

Lousal 1; 2 – Lousal 2; 3 – Lousal 3; 4 – Lousal 4; 5 – Lousal 5; 6 – Lousal 6; 7 – Monte

Serôdio; 8 – Monte Branco; 9 – Pata do Cavalo

Figure 4. Main megalithic monuments of Lousal area.


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Figure 5. Archaeological circuit Lousal GeoMegalítico and stops in Lousal area (represented at A - Military maps 507 and 518, 1:25 000, and B - Geological Map, 1:200 000, Oliveira and

Wagner, 1983)

Figure 6. Activities along the Lousal GeoMegalítico field trip.

Figure 7. Participation of local people in the enhancement of the megalithic heritage of Lousal.

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