A village drawn on the hillside
Vive Cabeceiras · Rio Douro · interpretação arqueológica

In Monte do Castelo, relief is part of history.

The municipal inventory proposes the existence of a small fortified settlement of the first millennium before Christ. The interpretation is based on the ground platforms and the position over an irrigated area. There is no need to imagine a medieval castle: here, the word of the name accompanies traces of another era. The small elevation and regular platforms are two clues used in interpretation. The position allows mastering an irrigated floor that extends north. The argument thus combines the form of the land with the relationship between the village and the surrounding area; the toponym alone does not solve dating.

Sources and context
Municipality — archaeological inventory, interpretations and chronologies
https://cabeceirasdebasto.pt/cultura-arqueologia
Accessed: 2026-11-07

Editorial summary. The date of consultation is not the date of the facts.
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https://vivecabeceiras.pt/en/descobrir/terra-viva/?leitura=monte-castelo-plataformas#monte-castelo-plataformas