Yacimiento - A Cabecina
A period of transition and change
This is a complex archaeological site that will help us understand the transition from the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age. We learn that not only was it occupied during the Bronze Age by dwelling units, but also that the immediate surroundings were “ritualised” by an abundant and complex number of rock engravings, that is, petroglyphs. The site was later reoccupied in Iron Age I, forming a fortified settlement, which continued to a greater or lesser degree from the 8th century BCE until the 1st century.
The archaeological excavations carried out have revealed that the earliest interventions on the promontory involved the building of its defensive system, taking advantage of the rocky outcrops that already existed and filling and conditioning the land within the walls.
Remains of the settlement’s earliest huts, made with perishable materials, that is, wood and mud, were found on the interior, south-facing terraces. This means of construction would change towards the end of the 5th or beginning of the 4th century BCE, when stone constructions came into use, and huts began to have circular floor plans. External, red ochre plaster has been documented here.
The exact moment in time these huts were abandoned cannot be confirmed, but it was definitely before the 1st century, when it was reoccupied, for the final time, in the Roman era.
Control of maritime routes
The location of the site is strategic, with ample panoramic views over the Atlantic Ocean and the southern valleys. Furthermore, it controls the only mooring point along this wild stretch of Atlantic coastline (Mougás port). In this respect, it forms a part of a network of sites (Cano dos Mouros, A Chavella) which had a visual command of the maritime route, fundamental for the exchange of ideas, goods and people at the beginning of the first millennium BCE.