Castro de Chibanes & Casal do Pardo
STONE AGE SETTLEMENT
Below are historical details for an extensive walk to the Mills.
Castro de Chibanes
The foundations of the hill fortress of Chibanes date back to a late phase of the Copper Age, indicating the economic significance of the region as early as the third millennium BC. The assumption that the site was abandoned at some point is based on the temporally gapped findings. Settlement is only ”confirmed” during the Copper and Bronze Ages, as well as shortly before and during the Roman occupation. To see the artifacts from Chibanes, one must visit the Archaeology Museum in Lisbon.
The site covers about one hectare of land, naturally protected by the sea on one side, and its elevated position provides a view of the Sado Estuary and the Tagus River. Hunting and fishing ensure basic sustenance, and the strength of the fortification and corresponding finds suggest that Chibanes was a trading hub where processed copper played a role. For the Romans, it was at least a residential settlement, and in the 12th century, the place name Alcaria emerged after a Muslim fortress.
Casal do Pardo
The presumed cemetery of prehistoric Chibanes: the four artificial caves of Casal do Pardo were created with stone tools and are therefore older, but collective burials in caves were common throughout the country 4,000-5,000 years ago and served as an alternative to dolmens, which were not excavated but erected. Unfortunately, the initial investigations at the end of the 19th century were sloppy, making it difficult to gather more details on specific finds and potentially draw new conclusions. The connection between Chibanes and Pardo can be made not only through geographical proximity but also through the similarity of artifacts.