Rock Art of Alagoa

Category: Archaeology > Arte rupestre

District: Viseu > Tondela > Corveira > Alagoa

Location

The rock carvings of Alagoa are located in the rural tranquility of Corveira, a locality belonging to the municipality of Tondela. This site of historical interest is situated in a picturesque area, where two small hillocks meet, creating a harmonious natural setting. A small clearing highlights the site, which is nestled within an environment of wild pine forest, inviting a direct experience with nature and with traces of a distant past.

Testimonies of Prehistory

The Rock Art of Alagoa offers a journey through time, revealing marks left by communities that inhabited this region during Prehistory. This is an open-air archaeological site, classified as a Property of Public Interest, which underscores its heritage value and the need for its preservation. The schist rocks present here are stone canvases that preserve hundreds of symbols and figures, offering a unique perspective on the daily lives and beliefs of our ancestors.

The Engraved Symbols

On this set of rocks, which form a true rock art station, a diversity of motifs can be observed. Prominent among them are the figures called podomorphs, which represent human footprints, of both adults and children, some appearing to be shod and others barefoot. In addition to these, there are cup marks, circles, semicircles, and even a rectangular structure, as well as representations of horseshoes. It is notable how many of these motifs overlap, indicating that the rocks were engraved repeatedly over time. The technique predominantly used to create these works was pecking, a process that involved the use of lithic tools, possibly small quartz pebbles, to strike and mark the rock surface.

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