Castro de Nandufe

Category: Archaeology > Hillfort

District: Viseu > Tondela > Outeiro > Nandufe

Location

The Castro de Nandufe is located in the village of Outeiro, part of the Nandufe parish, in the municipality of Tondela. This ancient settlement occupies a privileged position on an isolated hill, which rises above the course of the Dinha River. The river, by partially encircling it, contributes to a harmonious and tranquil natural setting.

The surrounding area is predominantly rural and forested, lending the site a serene and inviting atmosphere for those who appreciate contact with nature and landscapes of scenic interest.

Memory of the Iron Age

The Castro de Nandufe is a testament to the presence of ancestral communities, whose roots are lost in the Iron Age. This was a fortified settlement, a proto-urban agglomeration where organized forms of life developed long before the arrival of the Romans in the Iberian Peninsula.

Although time has erased much of its original structure, it is still possible to observe some sections of the wall that once defended the hill. These constructions, made of large irregular stones, demonstrate the robustness of the engineering techniques of the time and the strategic importance the site held for its inhabitants.

Vestiges of Other Eras

The history of the Castro de Nandufe is not limited to the Iron Age. Archaeological evidence suggests a later occupation, possibly dated between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, corresponding to the Roman period.

Excavations carried out at the site revealed a diversity of finds, including ceramic fragments, vases, tiles (tegulae and imbrices), loom weights, and mills. Also notable is the discovery of more than twenty Roman coins from the imperial period, which attest to the Roman presence and influence at this point in Tondela. Ancient accounts even mention that the foundation stones of the castro's houses were, over the centuries, reused by the local population for their own constructions, revealing the continuity of the use of this space and its materials.

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