The Citância de Sanfins is an archaeological site of the Castro culture located in the Portuguese civil parish of Sanfins de Ferreira in the municipality of Paços de Ferreira.[1] The construction of the Castro site developed over many phases, between the 5th century BCE and the 2nd century CE.[2] The Castro had a period of Roman occupation that started during the 3rd Century CE, being abandoned during the 4th Century CE.[1] The site also includes a chapel dedicated to Saint Romanus (c. 14th Century) and 34 graves belonging to a Christian cemetery from the Medieval age (c. 13th Century CE).[1] The Castro was first dug in 1895 by Francisco Martins Sarmento e José Leite de Vasconcelos and the last interventions were in 1995, when one of the houses was reconstructed and a warrior statue replica was put near the entrance of the second wall.[3]
| Citânia de Sanfins | |
|---|---|
 View of Citânia of Sanfins, showing house ruins | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Castro |
| Architectural style | Chalcolithic |
| Location | Sanfins de Ferreira |
| Town or city | Paços de Ferreira |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°19′24″N 8°23′12″W / 41.32333°N 8.38667°W |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
Architecture edit
The Citânia was protected by three lines of walls, with an exterior wall protecting the West and South and a moat in the North and South.[2] These walls were created using local granite blocks.[2] About 160 houses have been found within the Citânia walls.[4] Most of these houses are circular, with diameters of about 5m, granitic stone walls, and conic ceilings made of perishable materials.[2] These houses typically form neighborhoods of 4 or 5 buildings, facing a common patio and surrounded by a wall, forming areas of 200-300m2.[4] On the periphery of the Citânia, a public bath building was found.[4] Warrior statues were found in the Citânia, one of them overseeing the main entrance of the Citânia.[2] The Citânia has a main road with a north–south orientation and collateral roads of east–west orientation.[4]
Findings edit
The archeological findings in Citânia de Sanfins belonged to multiple eras, for example:[1]
- Portuguese coins: One of John I of Portugal and two of Sebastian of Portugal.
- An unknown coin minted in the 4th century CE.
- Forty-two Roman coins, from Tiberius to an indeterminate Emperor in the 4th century.
- Pottery of the Castro, Roman, and later times.
Many of the findings are displayed in the nearby Museu Arqueológico da Citânia de Sanfins in Sanfins de Ferreira.[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d Silva, Armando; Centeno, Rui (2014). "Escavações arqueológicas na Citânia de Sanfins (Paços de Ferreira): 1977-1978" (PDF). Portugália.
- ^ a b c d e Património Cultural DGPC. "Citânia de Sanfins".
- ^ CM Paços de Ferreira. "Citânia de Sanfins". {} (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ a b c d "Portal do Arqueólogo". arqueologia.patrimoniocultural.pt. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
- ^ CM Paços de Ferreira. "Museu Arqueológico da Citânia de Sanfins". {} (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-05.