Beja - Rua do Sembrano

Defensive Wall - Iron Age, Roman Period, Early Middle Ages, Medieval Islamic Period, Middle Ages, Modern Age e Contemporary Period (2670)
The Rua do Sembrano is located on the southwest strand of Beja city's historical centre. The various preventive archaeological works carried out in this street, between the 1980s and present time, allowed various structures and materials associated with different phases of occupation of Beja to be identified, chronologically framed between prehistoric times and contemporary periods. The materials associated with prehistoric chronologies (namely the 3rd millennium BC) are scarce and were not associated to specific contexts, which hinders the characterization of this occupation stage. From the II Iron Age occupation (4th 2nd-century BC), the remains of a strong wall, built in dry stone, facing SE - NW was documented, associated with precarious structures within the walls, possibly domestic, as well as a significant and diversified set of materials, some of which exogenous in origin. This evidence points out that before the Roman occupation, Beja would be a fortified settlement, with some local and regional relevance.

Overview

The local museum of Rua do Sembrano allows the observation of several archaeological structures on-site with a permanent exhibition of archaeological materials collected in the excavations. It also has an area for temporary exhibitions. This site is part of the Heritage Route "Beja Antiga" and the! Alqueva Route".

Visit conditions

Free entrance associated with a museological structure

Timetables

From Tuesday to Sunday 09.30 to 12.30 / 14.00 to 18.00. Closed on Monday and January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.

Contacts

Documents

How to get there? Best practices

Best practices

Good practices when visiting archaeological sites

To visit an archaeological site is to connect with our origins, to understand our path and evolution as a species integrated in the environment, and to respect and safeguard our heritage so that future generations can also visit and enjoy it.

Walking the paths and enjoying the structures and archaeological pieces that survived over time, fosters the understanding of what is different, but also of what is common among different populations: basically, what identifies us as Homo Sapiens.

More than just vestiges and ruins of the past, archaeological sites showcase our capacity for creative thought, adaptation, interconnection, comprehension and resilience. Without these traits we would not have been successful as cultural beings participating in an ongoing evolutionary process. These sites also allow to consider choices made in the past thus contributing for decisions in the present to be made with greater awareness and knowledge.

Archaeological sites are unique and irreplaceable. These sites are fragile resources vulnerable to changes driven by human development. The information they keep, if destroyed, can never be recovered again.

As such, the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) invites all visitors to enjoy the beauty and authenticity of these sites, while helping to preserve them for future generations by adopting the following set of good practices:

  • Respect all signs; 
  • Do not try to access fenced areas; 
  • Do not climb, sit or walk on archaeological structures and remains; 
  • Respect areas where archaeological excavations are being carried out, not disturbing them; 
  • Do not collect materials or sediments;
  • Do not write or make graffiti on archaeological structures; 
  • Put the garbage in appropriate containers. If none exist, take the garbage with you until you find a suitable container; 
  • Leave the archaeological site as you found it; 
  • Do not drive bicycles or motor vehicles over archaeological sites; 
  • Respect and protect the plants and animals that live in the areas surrounding archaeological sites;
  • Report signs of vandalism or destruction to DGPC or Regional Directorates of Culture (DRC);
  • Share the visiting experience and the archaeological sites, as a way of raising awareness to their preservation and making them better known;
  • Do not buy archaeological materials and report to public security authorities, DGPC or DRC, if you suspect that archaeological materials may be for sale.

Further information:

AIA / ATTA (2013) – Guide to best practices for archaeological tourism. 

Raposo, J. (2016) – Código de conduta para uma visita responsável a sítios arqueológicos. In Sítios arqueológicos portugueses revisitados: 500 arqueossítios ou conjuntos em condições de fruição pública responsável. Al-madan, 2ª série, p. 20 – 77. 

DGPC contacts

Phone: +351213614200 | Email: informacaoarqueologica@dgpc.pt

 


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