The Prehistory of Portugal

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This project builds on collaborative work by Dr. Marks and Dr. Joao Zilhao, a Portuguese archaeologist. Together they have examined museum collections of artifacts excavated in the Estremadura region of Central Portugal and visited and tested a number of archaeological sites. These investigations show that a range of poorly dated and little understood archaeological cultures are present and that they probably span the period of the Upper Pleistocene. Together the investigators will conduct a series of field and laboratory studies with two major goals: the definition of Portuguese Upper Paleolithic industries based on a carefully excavated materials and secondly, the placement of these industries into a locally derived chronostratigraphic framework based upon both absolute dating and relative dating through associations with sequences of exposed alluvial and eolian formations. To accomplish this they will conduct excavations at already known sites and attempt to locate new ones. Absolute dates will be obtained through thermolumenescent dating of burned flint artifacts. Materials will be analyzed in Portugal at the close of each field season. The Upper Paleolithic marks the appearance of anatomically modern humans in Western Europe. This period is also characterized by the appearance of such uniquely human features as art and the elaboration of complex ceremonial behavior. Most of what is presently known derives from a rich complex of sites located in Southwestern France, and therefore, our understanding is likely biased. This research is important because it will provide a broader and more balanced perspective on this important time in human prehistory.