Excavations at The Avenida da República industrial complex in Faro

Ana Resende and her colleague Duarte de Jesus dos Santos will be giving a presentation about the first results of the archaeological work carried out at a site in the Avenida da República in Faro, Algarve. The excavation was undertaken as part of the demolition and construction project for a new building located in the so-called “Bairro Riberinho” in the city of Faro. The demolished buildings were constructed on top of remains from Roman and later times and the site was recognised as being archaeologically sensitive.

Recognised as the site of the Roman city’s expansion in its heyday (3rd/4th centuries AD), this is where residential, commercial and industrial areas would have been located, as witnessed by the discovery of the so-called “Oceano” mosaic in the vicinity, an amazing mosaic that can be seen in Faro Municipal Museum. This is also one of the areas of the city of Faro which has had a strongly consolidated urban fabric and structure since the 19th century, with an historical-architectural building that is unique and little changed over time. This has contributed to the preservation in-situ of extremely well-preserved archaeological remains, documenting the historical evolution of the site and the city of Faro itself.

Archaeologist Ana Resende is the Managing Partner of the archaeological company Olho de Hórus Arqueologia, Lda (formerly Ana Resende & Luis Resende, Archaeology). She has a degree in History and Archaeology from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and is a qualified teacher of History and History & Culture of the Arts. Ana has previously worked as a Technical Archaeologist and Scientific Director in various archaeological companies. Ana Resende has kindly provided the opportunity for members of the AAA to visit a couple of her archaeological sites, thus enabling us to have a chance to see excavation work in progress.

Duarte de Jesus dos Santos is a Technician in Cultural Heritage and Archaeology at Olho de Hórus Arqueologia, Lda and is also undertaking his Master’s Degree in Archaeology at University of Algarve (UAlg). He has a Degree in Cultural Heritage and Archaeology from UAlg where his thesis was “The Roman and Modern coins from the archaeological excavations on Avenida da República and Rua Infante Dom Henrique – Faro analysis and Disclosure of Results”. Duarte has worked on several excavations in the Algarve including at the Roman city of Balsa (Luz de Tavira), the Roman site of Loulé Velho (Quarteira) and at the Avenida da República, Faro.

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.

by Jane Robertson