Paper short abstract:

Sines is not refered in the Portuguese historiographical literature on the Expansion. However, new archaeological remains in the churchyard of S Salvador, in Sines, corroborated by archival documentation, can change this vision.

Paper long abstract:

The archaeological work carried out under the Urban Regeneration program of the Municipality of Sines revealed archaeological remains that indicate the town as a relevant and strategic point in the commerce and navigation of the Atlantic.

We identified some burials that open new investigation queries, such as its African origins. The archaeological data will be the object of a research project that aims to analyze the anthropological data. The investigation contemplates a historical and documentary investigation that recommends the analysis of documents in national and Spanish archives.

The archaeological structures identified on Vasco da Gama Avenue indicate that there were a number of infrastructures related to maritime and port activity, which are not documented. On the other hand, in the Early Modern age they are multiple references to the participation of people from Sines on the Route of the West Indies. It was the moment to begin a never concluded oceanic harbor en Sines and in Porto Covo. Furthermore, the archival documentation proves the presence of slaves in the county since the 16th century.

In the XVII-XIX centuries, the port of Sines was the point of entry and exit of goods from the Alentejo's region, and the port infrastructures built by the Municipal Council of Sines and private individuals date from this period.

This new perspective has paved the way to study the role of Sines in the transatlantic context and its participation in the route of the Indies and in the slave trade.