Thousands of years after its conception, the art of the Côa Valley is now being studied by a team composed of Técnico members. In addition to being part of the Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (C2TN), Ana Luísa Rodrigues and Dulce Russo are now part of the LandCRAFT project, which aims to study socio-cultural contexts of Recent Prehistory art in the Côa Valley. To this end, the contribution of the Luminescence Dating Laboratory (LDL) at Técnico, the only one of its kind in the country, located at Loures campus, will be vital.

The work was carried out at the Lapas Cabreiras shelter, in the Faia Brava reserve, in the Côa Valley Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. In addition to collecting sediment samples, gamma dosimetry (measurements of radiation levels absorbed by the materials) was performed in situ. The results will help to identify the luminescence ages of the materials sampled, as well as deposition rate indicators, which will make it possible not only to define the chronology and understand the dynamics of human occupation of the shelter but also its relationship with the other archaeological sites in the Côa Valley.

‘The first results will be available at the end of this year,’ says Ana Luísa Rodrigues, the researcher responsible for the LDL, ‘as the laboratory processes for luminescence dating are time-consuming.’ The scientist shares that ‘the experience has been lived with enthusiasm and also some trepidation’, since ‘the sense of responsibility is heightened’ when dealing with a UNESCO World Heritage Site and given the emblematic context’. ‘[At LDL,] we’re very much asked to contribute to better understanding and preserving our heritage’, she adds.

On the field trip, the team included members from the University of Coimbra, the Cultural Heritage Archaeology Laboratory, I.P., the University of Vigo and the Côa-Parque Foundation, as well as an independent archaeologist.