Sabroso Settlement

Category: Archaeology > Fortified Settlement

District: Braga > Guimarães > Sande > Sabroso

Location and Access

- Located in the municipality of Guimarães, near São Lourenço de Sande.

- Access via National Road 101 and Municipal Road 585 via São Lourenço de Sande.

- Approximately 2.7 km away from the Citânia de Briteiros.

Site Description

- Fortified settlement with 39 circular and rectangular houses, surrounded by monumental walls.

- Occupies the top of a 278m high hill.

- Classified as a National Monument.

Architectural Composition

- Two lines of walls protected by moats.

- Circular and rectangular structures within the walls.

- Sloping walls built with granite blocks.

- Houses organized in family nuclei.

Archaeological Details

- Discoveries of ceramic pieces, some with Bronze Age ornamental motifs.

- Paved structures and traces of reinforcement in the walls.

- Possible evidence of paved squares and sidewalks.

- Presence of tombs and associated funerary monument.

Cultural Elements

- Presence of rock engravings, including concentric circles and labyrinths.

- Possibility of a rock altar and pig statues as divinities.

- Existence of a possible bathhouse nearby.

Collection and Artifacts

- Diversity of materials, including ceramic pieces, stone axes, pig statues, coins, and bronze elements.

- Jewelry, bracelets, rings, and circular fibulae.

- Statues representing pigs as possible idols.

History and Occupation

- Possible occupation since the Iron Age.

- Expansion and reconstruction during the Roman presence.

- Decline and dismantling of structures for stone exploitation.

Rediscovery and Actuality

- Excavations started by Francisco Martins Sarmento in 1877.

- Classified as a National Monument in 1910.

- Archaeological importance and ongoing work in the 21st century.

Public Visitation

- Plans to open the monument to the public, integrating it into a circuit with the Citânia de Briteiros.

- Recent work aimed at preserving and enhancing the site.

- Access subject to inventory programs and archaeological interventions.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citânia_de_Sabroso

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt