Material Culture from the Al Hallaniyah Isle Early 16th-Century Portuguese Indiaman Wreck-site

UID/HIS/04209/2013Excavation of an underwater site on Al Hallaniyah Island, Oman, conducted from 2013 to 2015, confirmed the presence of at least one early 16th-century shipwreck. The location is believed to be where Vincente and Brás de Sodré’s Esmeralda and the São Pedro, both part of Vasco de Gama's second voyage to India, were wrecked in 1503. This article describes the ceramic and other domestic material assemblage. It is a study of the objects used by sailors on board in their daily lives. The non-European ceramics also give indications of supplies, cargoes, and plunder acquired during the voyage. These aspects of the assemblage provide two different perspectives on the new era of maritime global trade.authorsversionpublishe

Portugal’s role in the making of a multicultural Europe (1415–1806)

UIDB/04209/2020 UIDP/04209/2020 DL57/2016/CP1453/CT0084In the Early Modern age, Portugal was among the first European countries to engage in overseas trade and colonial ventures. The influx of new people and things rapidly transformed it into a multicultural country in permanent contact with the rest of Europe and the wider world. While we possess a vast amount of knowledge describing the overseas contacts and acquisition of goods from historical documents, in recent years archaeological excavations have begun to reveal direct evidence of these interactions. This includes thousands of people and objects such as ceramics, ivory and stone artefacts produced in overseas territories in Africa, South America and Asia. They were exported in vast amounts to several European countries, and are frequently found in archaeological excavations. These commodities were in part responsible for changing European perceptions of the world, its dimensions and cultural plurality. They also rapidly left their mark on European goods production, leading to changes in aesthetics and the introduction of new forms. This paper will discuss some of these objects in terms of how they reflect an Early Modern globalized world, and their influence on European daily life.publishersversionpublishe

Exploring Pottery Production in Estremoz, Portugal

UID/HIS/04209/2013This paper discusses recent research exploring early modern pottery production associated with Estremoz, Portugal. Estremoz has played a prominent role in the historical narrative of Portuguese earthenwares stretching back to the 16th century, influencing research on both domestic and export consumption of Portuguese wares. New information presented here on the physical nature of Estremoz earthenware helps to deconstruct the area’s role in the production and distribution of ceramics in the early modern period.publishersversionpublishe

16th and 17th centuries lead glazes from Carnide (Lisbon)

Lead glazes, brown, yellow or green, are frequently found in Early Modern contexts associated to kitchen ware, although usually corresponding to no more than a small percentage of the total assemblages. While 16th and 17th century potters’ regulations mention which forms were produced and how they should be manufactured, cook books from that same period determine the use of such wares in preparing, cooking and serving food. The collection found in Carnide, just outside Lisbon, as the filling of hundreds of deactivated storages pits may shed some light on the use of these ceramics in domestic environments and their importance in everyday activities.publishersversionpublishe

A distribuição e consumo de louça de Lisboa no Atlântico Norte (1600-1700)

UID/HIS/04209/2013É sobejamente conhecida a presença tanto de faiança como louça comum, de produção lisboeta, no norte da Europa. O comércio entre o sul e o norte assentava em produtos tais como o sal, vinho, açúcar, fruta e azeite, de produção portuguesa, e as fazendas e madeira, oriundas do norte da Europa. A presença de louça, tanto vidrada como comum, corresponderia apenas a pequena porção dos carregamentos que navios de diferentes nacionalidades levariam de Lisboa para as cidades norte europeias, onde entrariam num sistema de redistribuição para cidades mais pequenas e das poucas sobrevivências arqueológicas deste comércio. É objectivo do presente trabalho demonstrar que tipo de louça era exportada, em que quantidades, e quais os seus padrões de consumo no Norte da Europa. The presence of Lisbon ceramics, either tin glaze or coarse wares, is widely known in Northern Europe. The trade system between the North and South was supported by commodities such as Portuguese salt, wine, sugar, fruit and olive oil, and cloth and wood produced in the North. Ceramics would correspond to a small amount of the total trade, though a remarkable survival in archaeological contexts. From those major cities, with direct connections to Portugal, they would be redistributed to smaller cities. The purpose of this paper is to show what type of ceramics were being exported, in what amounts, and what was their consumption patterns in Northern Europe were.publishersversionpublishe

Os contextos arqueológicos da escavação do Centro de Saúde

UID/HIS/04209/2019O lugar do actual Centro de Saúde de Alhandra foi alvo de duas intervenções arqueológicas. Durante as escavações ali efectuadas foram recuperados diversos elementos de cultura material associados às mais diversas vivências quotidianas. As cerâmicas vermelhas, vidradas e faianças são as mais abundantes, mas outros elementos vítreos, metálicos e de osso foram igualmente recuperados. Os materiais correspondem a uma ocupação entre os meados da primeira metade do século XVII e os inícios do século XVIII.publishersversionpublishe

o demónio da Casa da Severa

UID/HIS/04209/2013 UID/HIS/00749/2013Escavações arqueológicas na Casa da Severa puseram a descoberto contextos arqueológicos que se podem balizar entre o século XII e os finais do século XV. Foram identificados ambientes domésticos cuja cultura material e restos faunísticos se fazem associar sobretudo à comunidade muçulmana, apesar do enquadramento cristão em que a mesma esteve inserida ao longo destes três séculos. Entre os diversos achados de uso quotidiano, foi recuperado um molde em cerâmica onde era possível moldar pequena estatueta, em metal, que associamos a uma figura demoníaca: as suas características físicas com cascos e pernas de animal, chifres e falo, não deixam margem para dúvidas. Este trabalho pretende a análise desta estatueta como representação de actividades ocultas tais como a invocação de demónios, associadas a um contexto medieval lisboeta claramente popular. O facto de se tratar de uma peça para a manufactura de estátuas leva a crer que existia uma produção deste tipo de artefactos e que os mesmos podiam ser obtidos na Lisboa medieval sugerindo possivelmente a existência não apenas de um caso de adoração isolada, mas uma diversidade que possivelmente seria transversal a estas distintas comunidades religiosas. Tais cultos, conhecidos através da documentação, são raramente identificados em intervenções arqueológicas, pelo que este artefacto é reflexo de ideologias e crenças. Archaeological excavations made in Casa da Severa, discovered some archaeological contexts possible to date between the 12th and 15th centuries. Several domestic environments reveal the presence of Muslim communities based on material culture and faunal remains. Among the many finds related to everyday household activities a ceramic mould was found. This object was used to cast metal figurines shaped as little devils. Its physical characteristics combining a human figure with animal legs, horns and a phallus clearly suggest this identification. This paper aims to study that figurine as a representation of occult activities, such as the calling of demons, associated to an atmosphere of popular superstition. The existence of one mould destined to cast several figures leads to the conclusion that this was not an isolated act but a widespread practice. Several documents seem to confirm that the worship of demons and other pagan ritual were frequent.publishersversionpublishe

Boat representation in 17th and 18th centuries Portuguese tin glaze ware

UIDB/04209/2020 UIDP/04209/2020Portuguese tin-glaze ware decorated in blue and/or purple on white has been made in Portugal from at least 1570 using traditional methods up until the late 18th century. During this time, these ceramics were decorated with many different motifs with boats or ships being among the less frequent representations. These are shown in many different ways, most of the time illustrated while sailing. Several types of vessels have been recorded, from the small fishing boat associated with the fisherman to large vessels believed to correspond to ships, pataxos, naus or even galleons along with other types of vessels known in the 17th and 18th centuries. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of this iconographic source, depicting diverse types of boats and how those relate to the ships from different flags that pottery makers would observe daily entering the Portuguese ports, considering their economic, social and symbolic importance.publishersversionpublishe

Moeda islâmica no Olival do Parque (Alfange, Santarém) e a degradação de emissões monetárias em reinos de Taifas

Excavations held at a building site at Olival do Parque (Alfange, Santarém, Portugal), just facing the Tagus river, exposed the foundations of an Islamic house (among others) besides several, nearby ditches full of detritus. One of the latter yielded a nearly complete pottery pan containing the coin described in this paper. The coin is a copper (and not billion) fractional dirham issued at Badajoz by al ‑Mutawakkil, the last king of that Taifa Kingdom. It corresponds to one of the emissions from the beginning of his reign between 460 and 461 AH (and doubtfully until 465 AH or 1073 AD). The lower time limit is quite accurate. However the coin may have been in use until somewhat later. It perhaps would be replaced during the same reign or, with stronger reason, after the fall of the Badajoz Taifa (1094 AD) and the subsequent domination by the Almoravids. Comparative study of microprobe analyses shows that dirhams issued by the Badajoz Taifa during his last ruler’s reign were entirely debased and made of nearly pure copper, this being certainly related to an important economic crisis before the same reign’s final breakdown. This is further corroborated by the debasement of gold coins (fractional dinars), at first made from high gold contents’ alloys, and later from much poorer, low gold contents’ ones. Among the former, a good specimen that was found quite nearby at Porta do Pão (Santarém) is revised and interpreted here in comparison with other specimens. The so far known, rare Islamic coins from these times are perfectly in agreement with Santarém’s integration in the Badajoz Taifa kingdom. They suggest nothing at all about the hypothetical independence of Santarém as a distinct Taifa, or on the existence of any other small Taifas in the western part of the Al ‑Andaluzpublishersversionpublishe

Cerâmica oriental em Alhandra

UID/HIS/04209/2019 DL 57/2016/CP1453/CT0084A escavação do espaço do futuro Centro de Saúde de Alhandra identificou vestígios de ocupações domésticas que podem recuar ao século XVII. Associadas a esses materiais forma encontrados 11 fragmentos de porcelana. A sua produção, ainda do século XVI, e a raridade de alguns dos seus objectos merece uma discussão detalhada.publishersversionpublishe