The Cividade de Âncora (also known as Cividade de Afife) is an archaeological site of the
Castro culture located in the border between the
municipalities of
Viana do Castelo (
Afife
Afife is a civil parish located in the Portuguese municipality of Viana do Castelo. The population in 2011 was 1,632, ) and
Vila Praia de Âncora
Vila may refer to:
People
*Vila (surname)
Places
Andorra
* Vila, Andorra, a town in the parish of Encamp
Brazil
* Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, a municipality in the State of Mato Grosso
* Vila Boa, Goiás, a municipality in the State of ...
.
The Cividade was built during the
Iron Age (2nd Century BCE) and was occupied up to the
Romanization of Hispania (1st Century CE).
Despite no evidence of occupation after the Roman period, two
Stelae belonging to the
Middle Ages were found in the area.
The Cividade was first dug in 1880 by Francisco Martins Sarmento and the last intervention was in 1984.
The Cividade de Âncora is an
unclassified monument, being in the process of classification since 1979.
Its findings can be seen in Caminha and Viana do Castelo's municipal museum.
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Architecture
The Cividade was built on the Monte da Suavidade ("Hill of Softness"), overseeing the Âncora River.
The hill has a maximum height of 187m and is 1250m from the sea.
Along with other smaller settlements, it controlled the access to tin and gold in the mountain ranges of Santa Luzia and Arga.
It is protected by three lines of stone
walls, with an average width of 1.5m.
The Cividade's
cemetery was located within the residential section of the Cividade.
The houses were of circular and oval shape, made of stone walls and ceilings of perishable materials.
The houses were typically arranged around a central patio with a cistern or fountain.
See also
*
Citânia de Briteiros
*
Castros in Portugal
*
History of Portugal
References
Former populated places in Portugal
Castros in Portugal
Viana do Castelo