The Roman ruins of Santo Andre de Almoçageme () is a
Portuguese archaeological site located in the rural
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of
Colares, in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
of
Sintra
Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...
. It includes a group of structures with typological, stylistic or historic value, whose structural elements are worthy of preservation.
History
The settlement was constructed between the 3rd and 5th centuries.
In the 17th century a funerary inscription, unrelated to the physical structures was discovered, implying a more intricate history.
[
In 1905, a ]polychromatic
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors.
When looking at artworks and a ...
mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
was discovered, in addition to artefacts linked to its Roman history.[ The first official archaeological excavations began between 1980 and 1990: these excavations exposed a large area of the main house (''pars urbana'') that included several rooms with mosaic pavements to the north (that included ]peristyle
In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...
).[ In the excavated ''pars rustica'' a brick oven was discovered, used for producing ceramics.][ Later, the structures became derelict and in the adjoining spaces a grave was discovered, where two newborn children were buried.
]
Architecture
Inscriptions along the perimeter of the triangular plan are delimited by a metallic fence, defining the structures of the town.[ The settlement includes walls composed of irregular ]masonry
Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...
in height.[ Its plan essentially comprises various rectangular spaces, many corresponding to halls and paved with mosaics (in the north and west).][
In the excavated areas, there are two rectangular, plaster tanks: one situated at the end of the wall and the other irregular, located near a bunk of tiles.][ Also located near the excavated zone is a brick oven and child's burial grave, both near to each other.][
]
See also
*Olisipo
Municipium Cives Romanorum Felicitas Julia Olisipo (in Latin: ''Olisippo'' or ''Ulyssippo'' ; in Greek: ''Ὀλισσιπών'', ''Olissipṓn'', or ''Ὀλισσιπόνα'', ''Olissipóna'') was the ancient name of modern-day Lisbon while it w ...
References
;Notes
;Sources
*
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External links
Santo André de Almoçageme
Santo Andre de Almocageme
Buildings and structures in Sintra
Archaeological sites in Lisbon District
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