Monte Molião

Last updated April 25, 2019

Monte Molião is an archaeological site located in the Municipality of Lagos, in Portugal . The site is located on Monte Molião, an elevation north-west of Lagos city center, on the east bank of the Ribeira de Bensafrim, in the parish of São Sebastião. It is the vestiges of an old fortified settlement, also identified as Lacóbriga, occupied since the Second Iron Age, between the end of the 4th century BC and the end of the 3rd century BC. This location is of Celtic origin and was progressively abandoned during the Carthaginian and Roman, the Republican Roman, and the Imperial Roman ages due to the growth of another population center, with the same name.

Lagos is a municipality at the mouth of Bensafrim River and along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Barlavento region of the Algarve, in southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 31,049, in an area of 212.99 km². The main town of Lagos has a population of approximately 22,000. Typically, these numbers increase during the summer months, with the influx of visiting tourists and seasonal residents. While the majority of the population lives along the coast and works in tourism and services, the inland region is sparsely inhabited, with the majority of the people working in agriculture and forestry.

Lacobriga was an ancient town of Celtic origin, usually identified as the predecessor of the current city of Lagos in Portugal. The nearby Archaeological Site of Monte Molião is also known as Lacobriga.

Excavation history

At the end of the 19th century, Portuguese archaeologist, Estácio da Veiga, identified the remnants as being of a fortified town. He observed the presence of several constructions: an elliptical cistern, "a great wall that ended at an acute angle as if it were a fortified point," and other smaller structures, enough to indicate a "destroyed fortified settlement". He collected two gold earrings (4th Century), republican coinage, a bronze of Mercury from the Roman Period (2nd century AD) now in the National Archaeology Museum, Roman amphorae and ceramics and other materials of the Iron Age, Roman age and medieval age. In the early 20th century Father José Joaquim Nunes discovered a Roman necropolis of imperial times the location of which is unknown today. In 1992, a section of Monte Molião was destroyed by an extension of National Road 125. In 2005, drilling and geophysical surveys were carried out.

Mercury is a major god in Roman religion and mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery and thieves; he also serves as the guide of souls to the underworld. He was considered the son of Maia, who was a daughter of the Titan Atlas, and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is possibly related to the Latin word merx, mercari, and merces (wages); another possible connection is the Proto-Indo-European root merĝ- for "boundary, border" and Greek οὖρος, as the "keeper of boundaries," referring to his role as bridge between the upper and lower worlds. In his earliest forms, he appears to have been related to the Etruscan deity Turms; both gods share characteristics with the Greek god Hermes. He is often depicted holding the caduceus in his left hand. Similar to his Greek equivalent Hermes, he was awarded the caduceus by Apollo who handed him a magic wand, which later turned into the caduceus.

Roman funerary art changed throughout the course of the Republic and the Empire and comprised many different forms. There were two main burial practices used by the Romans throughout history, one being cremation, another inhumation. The vessels that resulted from these practices include sarcophagi, ash chests, urns, and altars. In addition to these, buildings such as mausoleums, stelae, and other monuments were also popular forms used to commemorate the dead. The method by which Romans were memorialized was determined by social class, religion, and other factors. While monuments to the dead were constructed within Roman cities, the remains themselves were interred outside the cities.

Protection

The monument is classified as a Property of Public Interest, according to Decree No. 26 A / 92, of June 1.

Gallery

Partial view of Monte Molião.
Interior of a cistern.
The cistern seen from a different angle.
House divisions.
The remains of what appears to be a defensive wall.

A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings. Modern cisterns range in capacity from a few litres to thousands of cubic metres, effectively forming covered reservoirs.

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References

Rocha, António dos Santos (1906) Necrópole lusoromana do Molião. In Boletim da Sociedade Arqueológica Santos Rocha. Figueira da Foz. 1: 3, p. 103105.
Nunes, José Joaquim (1900) Necrópole lusoromana nos arredores de Lagos. In O Arqueólogo Português. Lisboa. 1ª série: 5, p. 102104.
Estrela, Susana (2000) O Património Arqueológico classificado em perigo: o exemplo da negligência em Monte Molião Lagos e a necessidade urgente do debate e de acções práticas de salvamento e dinamização. In Actas do 3º Congresso de Arqueologia Peninsular. Arqueologia Peninsular História, teoria e prática. Porto: ADECAP. Vol.1, p. 81103.
Santos, Maria Luísa Estácio da Veiga Affonso dos (1972). Roman Archeology of the Algarve. Lisbon: Association of Portuguese Archaeologists.
Arqueologia Patrimonio Cultural

External links

Image of the Monte Molião Mercury

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