On Tuesday 4th February, the Algarve Archaeological Association (AAA) will be presenting two lectures, in English on the excavations at A New Roman Site: No 12-18 Rua Infante D.Henrique, Faro.
The lecture will presented by Archaeologists Ana Resende and Duarte de Jesus dos Santos. 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.
In this presentation Archaeologists Ana Resende and Duarte Santos will be telling us about their excavations at a new Roman site at No 12-18 Rua Infante D.Henrique, Faro which members of the AAA were lucky enough to visit at the end of the excavations in January 2023.
Due to the highly sensitive location of the site, in the so-called riverside area of Faro, close to the old port area, the site owners had to carry out archaeological investigations prior to redevelopment of the site. The privileged location of the site suggests that it played an important role in the life of the local community over the centuries.
Ana and Duarte will be describing all stages of the archaeological investigations undertaken on site, from monitoring the entire demolition of the existing building, while maintaining the façade, which allowed them to recover any historic elements that may have been hidden and reused on site. Once the demolition was complete, Ana and her team undertook diagnostic surveys to characterize and understand the site before the construction of the new building began.
Various structures of different dates were identified during every stage of the archaeological survey as the excavation work went deeper. Modern layers overlay those of late-medieval date containing ceramics from Seville and those of Arab influence. These overlay the distant remains of Roman times, gradually revealing almost 2000 years of Faro’s history, specifically from the days of the infamous city of Ossonoba, a rich, prosperous and dynamic place. Bit by bit, evidence of Roman housing and factory spaces began to appear, characterizing those who lived there, revealing a site clearly dedicated to industry, including the identification of Roman salting tanks. 
Finds included fragments of amphorae for transporting wine, olive oil and garum. Elements of everyday life such as ceramics were recovered, including fragments of cups, plates, bowls, fragments of glass vessels and various personal belongings such as hair pins, sewing needles, oil lamps and a dice. Many fragments of painted wall plaster with geometric shapes and floral motifs were also recovered. One of the main entrances to the Roman city of Ossonoba was identified oriented east-west, flanked by several column bases. One of the biggest surprises was the discovery of part of a beautiful mosaic, not far from where the famous Oceanus mosaic was discovered in 1926. The story of this site will be part of a future exhibition centre telling the story of the history of Faro.
Archaeologist Ana Resende is the managing partner of the archaeological company Olho de Hórus Arqueologia, Lda (formerly Ana Resende & Luis Resende, Arqueologia). She has a degree in History and Archaeology from Universidade Nova de Lisboa with a thesis entitled ‘The Cult of Roman Deities in the Territory of Olisipo’. She is a qualified teacher of History and History and Culture of the Arts. She previously worked as a Technical Archaeologist and Scientific Director in various archaeological companies.
Duarte de Jesus dos Santos is a Senior Technician in Cultural Heritage and Archaeology at the company Olho de Hórus Arqueologia, Lda and is studying for a Master's Degree in Archaeology at the University of the Algarve (UAlg). He has a degree in Cultural Heritage and Archaeology from UAlg with the thesis ‘Roman and modern coins from the archaeological excavations of Avenida da República and Rua Infante Dom Henrique - Faro - analysis and dissemination of results’.
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 algarvearchass@gmail.com, visit arquealgarve.weebly.com or Facebook 'Algarve Archaeological Association'.
Please check the website or Facebook page for any last-minute changes.
