Mértola’s Archaeological Site began its work in the
Alcáçova of the Castle of Mértola. Since 1978 we
uncovered a dense necropolis from the Late Middle Ages
/Early Modern Period, an intricate Islamic neighbourhood
and an impressive paleo-christian religious complex that
integrates a crypto-porticus, a 6th century baptistery and
an interesting collection of mosaics with a strong
Byzantine influence, which have been largely studied and
divulged. After the Christian conquest, in 1238, this
entire area, formerly occupied by the Islamic
neighbourhood, was converted by the victors into a
graveyard, from which already more than 700 graves
were exhumed.
In this communication, we present the many ornaments
found in this Medieval / Modern necropolis, excavated
during more than 35 years of research. The exhumed
ornaments are mainly metallic objects related to the
clothing and adornment of the body. Through these years
it has been of great interest to study and identify these
objects. Nevertheless we find ourselves in a time in
which it becomes of fundamental importance to
systematise and to divulge these spoils.
The study of the graves and human remains allows for the
characterisation of ancient societies, particularly of their
way of life, religious beliefs, funerary rituals, and in some
cases of the activities to which the populations dedicated
themselves. This is a work in progress, since the
excavations in this site are still underway and each year
new subjects are exhumed, allowing further study and
also the analysis of older data. This article complements
the communication entitled “The Alcáçova of the Castle
of Mértola – a Medieval and Modern necropolis”
