Idanha-a-Velha is one of the twelve Historic Villages of Portugal and the central place of this project developed by IEM (NOVA FCSH). The proposed investigation is the result of a partnership between the University of Coimbra, the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the Municipality of Idanha-a-Nova and the Regional Directorate of Culture of the Centre.
It focuses on the study of the ancient city, its territory, and its populations, and is projected within an innovative, interdisciplinary, and diachronic methodological framework. Our aim is to obtain an integrated view of the village’s past from the Roman period (1st century BC) to the Middle Ages (12th century).
This year, our work team will focus its efforts on the Paço dos Bispos, located to the west of the Sé de Santa Maria and occupied by a set of large, unevenly interpreted structures. During this year’s campaign, we plan to carry out different archaeological surveys here. We hope to obtain better documentation on the chronology and functionality of this area and, eventually, obtain data that will allow us to deepen our knowledge of the southern baptistery and the Cathedral of Santa Maria.