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Accepted Paper:

Castelo Velho and Prazo (V.N.F.Côa, Portugal): places of memory  
Alexandra Vieira (CEAUCP-CAM; IPB)

Paper short abstract:

We conceive landscapes as places of memory. By studying social memory, we have realized the valuable contribution of oral tradition for the study of landscapes in archaeology, and the way in which it attends to the qualities of time as well as space. Therefore we have started to analyze archaeological sites by another perspective, in order to bring together the material evidence with the more symbolic dimensions of place.

Paper long abstract:

During our research we have come to realize that landscapes should no longer be seen as the "scenario" in which the actions of our ancestors took place, or as the support of an action, but instead should be engaged with as a current of time, space and movement. Many authors define landscape as a "palimpsest of memories," a group of many layers that accumulate over time; a document, a living archive. In this sense, we must be mindful of two types of phenomena: the visible elements, materialized by the archaeological evidence; and the invisible elements, the intangible or symbolic dimension of the landscape, which is shaped in social memory.

Many of the archaeological sites that we study became authentic "markers of the landscape" or "places of memory", restored through time, passed on to each subsequent generation, reinforcing the mnemonic qualities of the landscape. There seems to be a repository of timeless popular knowledge, carefully preserved and faithfully handed down through countless generations. The analysis of the landscape as "places of memory" leads us in search of new analytical tools, applied to the study of archaeology. Thus, the study of oral narratives, legends, myths, in short the oral tradition of a given community, becomes fundamental. As an example we bring here a brief summary of the oral traditions that are associated with two prehistoric archaeological sites from the region of Foz Côa: Castelo Velho de Freixo de Numão and Prazo.

Panel S08
'Memories can't wait' - memory, myth, place and long-term landscape inhabitation
  Session 1