Book of the month, April 2011

PALMA, Maria de Fátima - Arqueologia urbana na Biblioteca Municipal de Mértola (Portugal): contributos para a história local. Huelva: [s.n.], 2009. 135 p. Dissertação de mestrado inter-universitário em Arqueologia e Património, apresentada à Universidade de Huelva, Departamento de História I.

The area of expansion of the Municipal Library of Mértola is bounded by urban buildings located near the medieval wall of Mértola, by the so-called “Beja Doorway”. In 2003, this area was the centre of a preliminary survey and, in 2005 and 2006, archaeological excavations were carried out. These excavations will be the subject of this work focusing in the urban space bounded by the city’s fortifications and several dwellings, an area that has been the subject of a diverse and intense occupation over the centuries. The main objective is the study of urban transformation in this place over time, through the stratigraphic analysis of the site, with particular emphasis on the archaeological remains in the urban setting, with its historical and cultural context, as well as approaching the excavation from the point of view of urban archaeology. However, it should be noted that the excavation is still underway and may still produce new data to further the analysis. However, with the current records we may define an occupation horizon that spans, at least, from the 5th century BC to the 16th century AD. This study on "Urban Archaeology in the Municipal Library of Mértola (Portugal) – Contributions for Local History," brings a new light over Mértola’s historical size in times of which very little was known, until now, through this archaeological site, by using the preserved remains of its different stages of occupation, by reconstructing its historical development, its dwelling spaces, as well as the activities and life experiences within.

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