Geoarcheologisch onderzoek van een historische goudmijnsite in de noordoostelijke Alentejo, Portugal

This paper presents the results of geoarchaeological research in the northeastern Alentejo region of Portugal. The study area is a historical mining site for alluvial gold on the left bank of the Tagus River. As the gold exploitation obliterated large parts of the original landscape, a geoarchaeological approach is vital to gain an insight into the complex landscape history. Fieldwork forms the basis of this research. Further information was gained from aerial photograph interpretation, ancient literary sources and information from the well-studied Roman gold mines in north-west Spain. The archaeological framework is formed by an overview of historical alluvial gold mining in the Iberian Peninsula and a discussion of Roman techniques for large-scale exploitation of gold-bearing deposits. The geological and geomorphological framework consists of a description of the characteristics of the landscape before the exploitation. Within this interdisciplinary framework, the preserved remnants of the gold exploitation are identified and subsequently interpreted as to their function in the exploitation process