Category: Archaeology > Fortified Settlement
District: Viana do Castelo > Ponte de Lima > Facha
The Castro do Cresto is isolated on a small granite hill, in the locality of Facha, municipality of Ponte de Lima. Its elevated position, at about 220 meters of altitude, offers a comprehensive view of the surrounding landscape, especially over the transition from the Facha valley to that of Vitorino de Piães.
This rural site, currently covered in scrub, was chosen for its strategic importance, dominating an ancient natural passage that connected the Lima and Neiva river valleys, which facilitated the control of communication and movements in the region.
A testament to human presence since the Iron Age, Castro do Cresto is a fortified settlement that remained occupied until the Roman period. Its foundation, which may date back to the 8th century BC, is a landmark in the region's proto-history, revealing the forms of social and defensive organization of ancient communities.
Recognizing its historical and archaeological value, Castro do Cresto was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1990, integrating the vast collection of castros present in the municipality of Ponte de Lima, which enrich the cultural heritage of Alto Minho.
Characteristic of a fortified settlement, Castro do Cresto consists of a flattened crown, once the heart of the village, where circular-plan houses stood. For the defense of the settlement, two lines of walls were built, mostly of stone, reinforced in the most vulnerable areas, such as the north and northeast.
These defensive structures also included taluses and ditches, some of which were partially excavated into the rock. The construction of the walls and dwellings utilized the local granite itself, resulting from the leveling of the hilltop, demonstrating the ingenuity of the populations in utilizing available resources.
Although this castro has not yet been intensively explored, archaeological findings reveal aspects of the lives of its ancient inhabitants. The ceramic collection found is diverse, with a predominance of pieces from the final phase of the Castro culture period, but also with the presence of amphora fragments and terra sigillata hispânica.
These vestiges suggest that, besides subsistence based on agriculture in fertile soils, pastoralism in the mountains, and the exploitation of water and mineral resources, these communities maintained economic relations with other regions, through commercial exchanges.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.715966,-8.611712
Coordinates DMS: 41°42'57.5"N 08°36'42.2"W
Weather Facha
On-duty Pharmacy Facha
