The Medieval cemetery and Almohad quarters being excavates at Cacela Velha have revealed human skeletons and that of a cat.
The Poço Antigo sita at Cacela Velha, Vila Real de Santo António, has yielded, "the extraordinary heritage and historical wealth of this village," the Council commented.
During the archaeological dig, ten human skeletons belonging to Christian settlers have been exhumed. These are from the period after the Algarve was taken from the Moors in 1249.
Under this graveyard, the Almohad quarters dating from the 12th and 13th centuries have been revealed, including two houses with inner courtyards, surrounded by rooms. These domestic areas have several fireplaces, food remains and domestic rubbish areas.
The main street has been found, crossing this area of houses, which connects the settlement to the old port area.
This project is the result of a collaboration between the Algarve’s Regional Directorate of Culture, the University of Algarve and the local Council with the participation of 16 students from the Simon Fraser University in Canada who have been learning how to excavate medieval materials and structures, as well as human bones.
After the archaeological dig is over, the cleaning, inventory and study of the materials will be handled at the University of Algarve and some will be displayed at the dig's information centre at Cacela Velha.
