On Tuesday 6th October, the Algarve Archaeological Association (AAA) will be resuming its lecture series. The AAA will be presenting two lectures, in English, by Prof. Octávio Mateus.
The first lecture will be at 2.30pm at the Museu do Traje in São Bras de Alportel, the second lecture will be at 6pm at the Convento de São José in Lagoa. 
This palaeontological lecture takes us on a journey back in time to the age of the dinosaurs and beyond. It covers fossils such as the giant salamander-like Metoposaurus algarvenis, the crocodile like phytosaur and the turtle-like Henodus, which roamed the Algarve more than 200 million years ago.
Portugal is important in the study of fossil dinosaur remains. It is in the top ten of the world’s sites for prehistoric remains, the land being part of the ancient continent of Pangea. When the continent split, there appears to have been a mass extinction due to volcanic eruptions, eventually leading to the formation of the world’s continents as we know them today.
The fossil remains found in the Algarve include those of amphibian Metoposaurus algarvensis which was found near Loulé, a specimen of which is on display at Loulé Museum. Remains similar to those found in the Algarve have also been found in Germany and Poland; however, on the site near Loulé, nine different individuals were found in an area of three square metres, the highest concentration in the world.
Other prehistoric creatures discovered in the narrow strip of red Triassic sandstone rocks here in the Algarve include Phytosaurus from the early stages of amphibian evolution dating from the Triassic. It is these and other aspects of the Algarve’s spectacular geology that led to the creation of the Geoparque Algarvensis which has been recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark (www.geoparquealgarvensis.pt).
Prof. Octávio Mateus is a Palaeontologist and Associated Professor in the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and is the founder of the SPdP Sociedade Portuguesa de Palaeontologia. According to his own saying “he has been born in a dinosaur’s nest”, his interest in the subject having been generated by his father who ran the dinosaur
museum in Lourinhã. His work has taken him around the world discovering new species in such places as the Gobi Desert, Angola, Greenland, Chile and the United States. In the Algarve he has been researching the Triassic for more than 20 years.
Non-members are welcome to attend AAA lectures for a 5-euro admission fee, with all money raised by the AAA being used for archaeological grants and speakers.
For more information contact info.algarvearqueo@gmail.com, visit arquealgarve.weebly.com or Facebook 'Algarve Archaeological Association'.
Please check the website or Facebook page for any last-minute changes.
