European Journal of Archaeology 2020, page 1 of 17
Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Archaeological Excavation Methods at the Casa da Moura Cave (Portugal) in 1879–1880
1,2,3 3 JOÃO LUÍS CARDOSO AND NUNO BICHO 1Universidade Aberta, Lisboa, Portugal 2Centre of Archaelogical Studies, Oeiras Municipal Council, Portugal 3Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB) - Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
Nery Delgado was a key figure in the development of archaeological methods applied to prehistoric sites in Portugal within European archaeology at the end of the nineteenth century. He was the first in Europe to use a grid in his 1879–1880 excavation at the Casa da Moura cave (Óbidos, Portugal). The grid divided the cave into twenty-eight sectors excavated independently and, in each, all archaeological and bioanthropological finds were documented and marked with labels recording depth and excavation units. The 3D information obtained by Nery Delgado features among late nineteenth-century attempts at recording contextual data, a precursor of archaeological methods of data gathering that are used world- wide today. Nery Delgado was, thus, a pioneer of contemporary archaeological excavation methods.
Keywords: Palaeolithic, Portugal, archaeological excavation, methodology, Nery Delgado, Casa da Moura
INTRODUCTION revolution and the acceptance of deep time; publications included, among others, The second half of the nineteenth century Lyell’s Principles of Geology (1830) leading was crucial for the development and under- to the acceptance of the concept of standing of human evolution and prehis- Uniformitarianism, the discovery of fossil tory, including the elaboration of cultural Neanderthal remains in Forbes Quarry in sequences for European prehistory from the Gibraltar in 1856 (Menez, 2018), the first Palaeolithic onwards. That process started publication of the discovery of Neanderthal much earlier with Christian Thomsen in fossils in Germany (Schaaffhausen, 1858), Denmark (Daniel, 1976;Trigger,1989), and the publication of Darwin’s Origin of quickly spreading to most of northern and Species (1859). central Europe. It was at this time that With the acknowledgement of deep time human evolution and the presence of early and early hominins, prehistoric archaeology humans was finally accepted, overcom- jumped ahead, and excavations to recover ing the dominant conservative paradigm and reconstruct that early past rapidly championing a short chronology based on increased. The work of many scholars was Biblical time. Discoveries and scientific fundamental during this phase, including innovations were fundamental for that that of archaeologists and physical
Copyright © European Association of Archaeologists 2020 doi:10.1017/eaa.2020.55 Manuscript received 13 April 2020, accepted 29 October 2020, revised 11 August 2020 2 European Journal of Archaeology 2020 anthropologists such as Schmerling (1791– In Portugal, prehistoric archaeology 1841) in Belgium, Boucher de Perthes was virtually non-existent before 1850. (1757–1844) in France, and Buckland The foundation in 1849 of the Sociedade (1784–1856) and MacEnery (1796–1841) Archeologica Lusitana (Cardoso, 2018a) in England. Perhaps one of the most rele- and the remodelling of the Geological vant figures in this process was William Commission (Comissão Geológica de Portugal) Pengelly because he was able to show the in 1857 (Antunes, 1986; Cardoso, 2015) association of early humans in Britain with brought about major changes. The former Pleistocene fauna in his work at various was responsible for early large-scale arch- caves in Devon, the best known being aeological projects in Portugal, at the Windmill Hill Cave (Brixham) and Kent’s Roman site of Troia in the Sado estuary Cavern (Torquay), investigated in 1858–59 south of Lisbon (Cardoso, 2018a), while and 1865–80, respectively (Daniel, 1981: the latter was responsible for the excava- 53; W., 1897:5;Walker,2015:29).This tion of several prehistoric caves in the scientific advance was based on Pengelly’s Portuguese Estremadura as well as in the introduction of a new excavation technique Muge Mesolithic shellmiddens (Bicho (Davis, n.d.; Dawkins, 1894). This innov- et al., 2015; Cardoso, 2018b). ation, applied at Kent’sCavernin1865, In the second half of the nineteenth comprised not only the individual excava- century, archaeological research in Portugal, tion of each geological layer but also particularly that of Nery Delgado, who was a recording the location of every artefact. member of the Geological Commission, fol- Pengelly divided his excavation into blocks, lowed very closely the objectives of research- called ‘yards’, three feet long, one foot ers and institutions of other European wide, and one foot thick (Walker, 2015). regions, namely attempting to document Up to the 1850s, the artefacts and fossils the existence of ‘Tertiary Man’ (Daniel, were the centre of the archaeologists’ atten- 1976: 98), and confirming the antiquity of tion, with excavations generally focusing Palaeolithic human fossils (Cardoso, 2000, on gathering artefacts without any particu- 2013;Bicho&Cardoso,2018). It is in this lar concern for their provenance. While contextthatNeryDelgadoundertookthe this was not particularly important on open excavation of variouscavesiteslocated air sites with single archaeological hori- some 70–100kmnorthofLisboninthe zons, it had a major impact in prehistoric Cesaredas Plateau, near the town of Óbidos. cave sites, frequently leading to long Nery Delgado, like Pengelly in the UK, used sequences being mixed up due to the lack new methods in his excavations, including a of contextual information recorded during grid, which is still standard practice today. excavation. It was precisely during this Our article describes the application of these period that many findings were made on methods at the cave site of Casa da Moura sites with Palaeolithic sequences and new in 1879–1880. fossils, such as those of Neanderthal and Gibraltar mentioned earlier. The second half of the nineteenth century was a key NERY DELGADO (JOAQUIM FILIPE NERY D turning point in prehistoric archaeology, ´ENCARNAÇÃO DELGADO, 1835–1908) not only because of such discoveries, but also because of methodological innovations Nery Delgado (Figure 1) was a well- mostly in England but also in the Middle known Portuguese military engineer, East on sites dating to more recent prehis- geologist, and archaeologist who actively toric periods. corresponded with his peers at a national Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 3
became known internationally for the high quality of his scientific work in the field of geology and archaeology, especially on the geology of his country. This activity resulted in the edition of the Geological Map of Portugal, at a scale of 1/500 000, published in 1876, with a second edition two years later. The first draft of this map, coloured by hand, was presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, where it received an award. In addition to the country’s geological mapping, he actively contributed to the stratigraphic and palaeontological characterization of Palaeozoic formations in Portugal, study- ing in particular the Ordovician bilobites of the Beiras group and those related to the Palaeozoic of the Alentejo in southern Portugal. His contribution to European archaeo- logical studies was equally unique, although he did not consider himself an Figure 1. Joaquim Filipe Nery Delgado (1835– archaeologist. Nery Delgado, alongside 1908) (João Cardoso personal archive). Carlos Ribeiro (1813–1882) and Francisco Pereira da Costa (1809–1889), who were and international level (Cardoso & Melo, responsible for the Second Geological 2001) and made important contributions Commission of Portugal (and the organi- to international geological congresses zations that succeeded it), embody the (Carneiro et al., 2014). development and coming of age in Nery Delgado began his career at the Portugal of prehistoric archaeology as Military School and then the Polytechnic scientifically sound and closely linked to School, graduating in Military Engineering geological studies, especially in the fields from the Military Academy of Portugal in of stratigraphy and palaeontology. The 1855. He was named deputy of the Second latter’s methods were instrumental in this Geological Commission of Portugal when development, as is clear in Delgado’s it was founded in 1857, where he showed early publications. Indeed, in Portugal, the remarkable activity, taking over its direction spirit that animated the pioneers of the in 1882 after the death of Carlos Ribeiro. Second Geological Commission did not Delgado was repeatedly promoted in his differ much from that of colleagues military career, until he reached the rank of beyond the Pyrenees. Nery Delgado and Division General (Lt-General). He contin- his collaborators were aware of the pro- ued research in geology until his death in gress made outside Portugal in the archae- 1908, following a double pneumonia con- ology of early humankind. Their studies, tracted during fieldwork. following those in other European coun- As a prominent member of the Royal tries where prehistoric research had started Academy of Sciences in Lisbon, and of earlier and was more developed, showed many other scientific societies, he soon that it was possible to gain knowledge of 4 European Journal of Archaeology 2020 the human past based on material culture that connects with the surface (the so- buried in the vast archives of caves and called ‘ear of the Casa da Moura’). The open-air sites. These sites were inter- second chamber narrows and slopes down preted, as they are today, on the basis of to end in a vertical well, only recently on stratigraphy and typology, revealing the recognized and of no archaeological remarkable modernity of the so-called interest. ‘Golden Age’ of Portuguese archaeology. Casa da Moura was first explored by Nery Delgado in 1865, at the same time as Pengelly was working at Kent’s Cavern. THE CASA DA MOURA SITE IN ITS Delgado’s work resulted in a monograph HISTORICAL CONTEXT published in 1867, the first-ever such pub- lication in the Iberian Peninsula concern- The Casa da Moura cave is located in the ing archaeological work in a prehistoric municipality of Óbidos in central Portugal cave. The excavation’s primary purpose (Figure 2). It is an opening in the Lower was to explore the Pleistocene deposit Jurassic limestone of the Cesareda plateau, identified in the cave’s first chamber a geomorphological unit with an elongated (Delgado, 1867). This was dictated by a outline following a general northeast- significant preoccupation of the geologists southwest orientation that forms part of of the time, i.e. demonstrating the the northern foothills of the Montejunto antiquity of the human species in the mountain range. The cave lies, at about caves of western Europe through its coex- 160 m asl, on the northern edge of the istence with now extinct species of plateau, some 25 m away from an escarp- mammals. This is illustrated by the title of ment delimitating that plateau. Its the monograph: Da existência do Homem entrance, a short sinkhole, overlooks a vast no nosso solo em tempos mui remotos landscape to the north. provada pelo estudo das cavernas. Primeiro From a speleological point of view, the opúsculo. Notícia acerca das grutas da cave’s entrance is a narrow, almost vertical Cesareda [On the existence of Man on our chimney, with a maximum width of 3 m land in very remote times, proven through and a height of about 4 m. It gives access the study of caverns. First booklet. Note to an irregular, somewhat sub-triangular on the Cesareda caves]. chamber, separated from an inner chamber This work was developed to pursue the by a large block fallen from the roof. The objectives of the second Geological two chambers are connected by two Commission of Portugal, working between narrow side corridors running along the 1857 and 1868 (Cardoso, 2018b). The fallen block; these passages were marked 1865–1866 fieldwork focused on a trench in the plan drawn up at the time of Nery running the full width of the first chamber, Delgado’s work but published only now. uncovering a 2–4 m-long sequence with The two chambers are also connected by two major units, of which the bottom an upper gallery. The floor of the first metre was of Pleistocene age (Cardoso, chamber, where the bedrock is presently 2008: 66). In Delgado’s 1867 report, only completely exposed, dips towards the one human skull was listed; its mandible, interior of the rocky massif, following the recovered from the interface between the general orientation of the low and irregular Pleistocene and more recent deposits, may roof. By contrast, in the second chamber, have originally come from the Pleistocene the dome-shaped ceiling is about 6 m deposit or, alternatively, could have been high. This roof has a narrow vertical slit buried in it. These remains were taken for Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 5
Figure 2. Location of the Casa da Moura and Furninha caves. study by the physical anthropologist Gisela Veiga Ferreira (1917–1997). Unfortunately, Asmus to Germany, but they were never unless the original skull is found, its age returned according to the late Octavio da cannot be ascertained. If of Pleistocene age, 6 European Journal of Archaeology 2020 it would be the oldest example of an early To this end, excavations began simultan- Anatomically Modern Human ever found eously in the Furninha and Casa da Moura in the world, predating the findings from cavesinthelastfewmonthsof1879,creat- Cro-Magnon (Zilhão, 1997). The antiquity ing the opportunity to clarify the nature of of this fossil was, however, questioned at their Pleistocene deposits as well as other the time of its discovery. In 1874, Boyd issues, namely the exploration of the upper Dawkins made the following comment: ‘A deposit, still insufficiently studied. human skull with lower jaw was dug out The Casa da Moura campaign of 1879– the deepest part, but, since the matrix has 1880 led to the full excavation of what been disturbed, it had probably been was left of the lower deposit, dating to the interred after the accumulation of the Pleistocene period and in which human deposit’ (Dawkins, 1874:145). remains were scarce and possibly intrusive, In 1880, the fifteenth International and of the upper deposit described as Congress of Anthropology and Prehistoric ‘upper rubble’ with Neolithic/Chalcolithic Archaeology was held in Lisbon. This was burials. Unlike the previous campaign of the most important world archaeological 1865–1866, the objectives of the 1879– meeting at the time (Gonçalves, 1980; 1880 season gave great importance to the Cardoso, 2013). Portugal wanted to show exploration of the top layer, a poorly con- the very significant prehistoric finds solidated, blackish-brown sediment with unearthed in the country, including the abundant human remains and Neolithic Mesolithic Muge shellmiddens, the flint and Chalcolithic artefacts, whose presence ‘artefacts’ documenting the presence of the had previously been neglected. ‘Tertiary Man’ in Portugal, and the discov- The 1879–1880 excavation of Casa da eries of lithic industries associated with Moura was carried out in the cave’s first Pleistocene and Holocene fauna and human chamber, deepening and widening the remains in various caves in Estremadura, trench excavated in the 1860s. The stratig- including the Casa da Moura. Naturally, raphy in the first chamber, the one with the Geological Commission intended to the highest potential (Figures 3 and 4; show all the materials that had been exca- Delgado, 1867), confirms the results vated in those sites but, due to governmen- obtained in 1865–66. Two main deposits tal decisions including the demise of the were encountered: a top layer, dubbed Second Geological Commission in 1869, ‘upper rubble’, was a brownish-black sedi- the materials from Casa da Moura were not ment with abundant human remains and available for show at the congress (Cardoso, archaeological material of Neolithic and 2020). As a result, the direction of the more recent date belonging to a collective Geological Survey (i.e. Carlos Ribeiro and burial site; and an earlier deposit, sepa- Nery Delgado) decided to return to the rated from the previous layer by an cave and recover new materials to show to important set of stalagmitic crusts, inter- the participants of the congress. Many of stratified with a reddish sandy-clay. This the most influential European prehistorians, latter lay directly on a stalagmitic mantle including Cartailhac, Choffat, Evans, de over the bedrock and was characterized by Mortillet, de Quatrefages, Shaaffhausen, abundant rabbit and bird remains asso- and Virchow would attend the meeting. It ciated with some Palaeolithic stone and was therefore important to rapidly expand bone tools (Cardoso & Gomes, 1994; the collections that could be exhibited at Zilhão, 1997). At the time, these artefacts this major international convention to high- were not separated from the more recent light the activity taking place in Portugal. archaeological remains. This sequence was Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 7
Figure 3. Casa da Moura. Longitudinal section of the cave, showing the extent of the two almost completely excavated deposits, along with two cross-sections showing the thickness of the deposits. Original survey by Miguel Pedroso, reviewed by Nery Delgado (João Cardoso personal archive). later confirmed by the excavation of a Comissão dos Trabalhos Geológicos for small remnant of the deposit near the the financial year 1879–1880 (published entrance of the cave, which had been left 1881) and 1881–1882. The later report untouched (Straus et al., 1988). illustrates the importance of that work: The operation met with success, as ‘Another Cesareda cave, known as Casa da attested by the reports (Relatório) of the Moura, which, as mentioned in the
Figure 4. Profile of Casa da Moura based on the drawing illustrated in Figure 3. A: Pleistocene deposit; B top layer with Neolithic and later human burials. After Georges Zbyszewski. 8 European Journal of Archaeology 2020 previous report, yielded an outstanding by letters sent by Pedroso to Nery assemblage, especially human remains and Delgado and to the administrative officer Neolithic industries, was also thoroughly of the Commission, Carlos Calderon (see studied by the same Section Assistant and Cardoso, 2020 for a full transcription of the recovered exemplars were duly classi- all the letters exchanged between Miguel fied and catalogued’ (authors’ translation Pedroso, Nery Delgado, and Carlos of Relatório, 1882: 15). The results from Calderon). the excavation of both caves were briefly These letters provide essential informa- but quickly published in June 1880, on tion on the progress of the work, and the completion of the excavations (Delgado, difficulties encountered, illustrating that 1880). Two almost complete skulls from Nery Delgado’s role was mostly to provide Casa da Moura (Oliveira, 1884) and the written guidance for the implementation detailed results obtained at Furninha at of the excavation. More importantly for the same time were presented to the our discussion are indications of the International Congress in Lisbon in the innovative methods deployed by Nery same year (Delgado, 1884). This gave rise Delgado during the excavation. It was this to a heated debate, especially concerning set of letters, recovered by Octavio da anthropophagy (the consumption of Veiga Ferreira in 1975/76 from the human remains), firmly endorsed by Nery Geological Museum waste as they were Delgado (Delgado, 1884). being thrown away, together with docu- Despite the large quantity and diversity ments concerning the 1879–1880 cam- of the archaeological remains recovered, paigns at the Casa da Moura cave, that only a few specimens were presented at enabled us to reconstruct the work carried the time (Cartailhac, 1886), and almost out at Casa da Moura in 1880 during the entire collection remained unpublished the months leading up to the 1880 until 2002 (Carreira & Cardoso, 2002) International Congress. when the remains kept at the Geological In the 1865–1866 campaign, the exca- Museum of the National Laboratory of vation was already rigorously conducted, Energy and Geology (LNEG) and the with records of the depth of each finding, National Museum of Archaeology were as stated by Nery Delgado: ‘By excavating described. the rubble, layer after layer, it was easy enough for us to recover all these objects, always knowing at which depth they had THE EXCAVATION AND been found throughout the cave’ (Authors’ METHODOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS translation of Delgado, 1867: 46). This was taken even further in the 1879–1880 It was frequent in Portugal during the campaign, for which the documents nineteenth century and up to the mid- demostrate the scientific quality, highly twentieth century to have labourers carry- innovative for the time, of the excavation. ing out the excavation with only sporadic In particular, a letter dated 2 January visits by those responsible. It was during 1880, sent by the excavator, Miguel these visits that the excavation strategy Pedroso, to Nery Delgado when the exca- and methods were devised. This was the vation was already well underway, contains case at Casa da Moura and of Nery the ground plan of the first chamber of Delgado, who entrusted the work to the cave, with the following indication: Miguel Pedroso, a field assistant (colector) ‘Remetto o desenho da gruta devedida em 28 of the Geological Commission, as attested partes’ [I am sending the drawing of the Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 9
Figure 5. Casa da Moura. Pencil drawn plan of the cave, on the back of a letter dated 2 January 1880 addressed to Carlos Calderon. The twenty-eight sectors in the first chamber of the cave are indi- cated. Note the cave entrance, through a vertical well, situated at the top of the central axis of the drawing; the precise distances of each grid sector; indications of the third lapa (chamber) to the north, and fourth lapa, to the south (lower right and left sections of the diagram, respectively), on both sides of the large block fallen from the roof (in the lower section of the drawing to the right and left), which separated the first chamber from the second (João Cardoso personal archive).
cave, divided into 28 parts]. The back of O banco stalagmitico offerecia uma this letter shows a very detailed pencil inclinação de ± 20° para o canto N.E. da drawing of the cave’s main chamber gruta. As alturas até ao tecto, por cima do (Figure 5), with measurements of the sides banco stalagmitico, segundo o perfil longi- of the grid. An observation written in tudinal, vão indicados na linha central pencil by Nery Delgado, next to the entre (). A superficie do banco era, como ’ ground plan view and postdating it, clari- sempre succede irregularissima. (in fies the meaning of the measurements Cardoso, 2020: 135) ‘ included in the drawing: [ The thickness of the layer of black humic soil and rubble above the stalag- ‘A espessura da camada de terra negra mitic crust are indicated in the plan, in humosa e entulho acima do banco stalag- relation to the lines delimiting the mitico estão indicados na planta, e referi- lower side of the various rectangles. dos às linhas que limitam os differentes The stalagmitic crust had a dip of ± rectangulos inferiormente. 20° towards the N.E. corner of the 10 European Journal of Archaeology 2020
cave. The height of the roof, along the That the sectors recorded in the pre- longitudinal profile, is indicated on the served ground plan were dug separately, central line in () The surface of the sector by sector, is confirmed independ- crust was very irregular, as always.’] ently by the inventory of archaeological (translation of the letter published in and anthropological remains listed in a set Portuguese in Cardoso, 2020: 135) of fifty-four notebooks, where the depth of the finds was also logged. All entries We therefore conclude that Nery were written by Nery Delgado, to varying Delgado instructed Miguel Pedroso to degrees of detail. The first five notebooks make a detailed drawing, including varia- contain observations and notes related to tions in the thickness of the archaeological the excavation, probably in preparation for layers corresponding to the Neolithic and writing a second monograph that Delgado Chalcolithic burials, as observed in each apparently intended to write but never excavated grid sector, as well as variations completed. in the height of the cave roof. These data The remaining notebooks contain a sys- were gathered directly by Pedroso during tematic inventory of all finds with infor- excavation, making him the author of one mation on the excavated grid sectors and of the most important documents of the the respective recovery depths. This was a early days of Portuguese archaeology, high- painstaking task conducted over a long lighting the valuable role field assistants period and with extreme thoroughness, played in the gathering of scientific knowl- revealing the scientific standing of its edge, often forgotten or underestimated author. This record provides the location (Carneiro, 2005). The twenty-eight grid of the most important archaeological items sectors identified in the plan by capital and found at the time. The bioanthropological small letters, according to a predefined background of the author is also shown in orthogonal grid, are similar in size, as can this inventory since it summarizes the be seen from the numbers written on the results obtained from the human bone plan; these sectors were excavated in suc- fragments by location and depth. cessive predefined artificial levels. Publications started to appear soon after It is not easy for us to appreciate how the 1880 international congress in Lisbon harsh working conditions were, bearing in (Bensaúde, 1884; Cartailhac, 1886). Only mind the rudimentary means available at more recently have the bioanthropological the time, when the lighting of the cave was remains been published, and dated to the provided only by torches and candles. This Early Neolithic and up to the Bronze Age grid, whose existence is only now confirmed (Carreira & Cardoso, 2002; Antunes by the newly-recovered documents, had et al., 2009; Carvalho & Cardoso, 2011). been previously suspected to have existed on The faunal remains were published in the basis of information present on the 1993 (Cardoso, 1993), while the labels associated with the finds (Cardoso, Palaeolithic artefacts were the object of a 2008: 66). The collection from the 1879– detailed revision (Zilhão, 1997). 1880 work deposited at the Geological The conservation and storage of the Museumshowsthistypeoflabelonthe artefacts, fauna, and human remains have back of some pieces: a capital or small an interesting history. There are a few letter, followed by a measurement in metres archaeological pieces from the 1865–1866 (ranging from 0.20 m to 2.0 m). A second excavations in the Portuguese National label, if present, refers to a date correspond- Museum of Archaeology in Lisbon ing to the time of recovery (Figure 6). (Cardoso & Carreira, 1996). The human Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 11
Figure 6. Examples of Casa da Moura original labels from 1879–1880, showing a letter and a number, corresponding to grid location and depth. By permission of the Geological Museum of the National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (LNEG; photographs by João Cardoso). remains recovered in 1865–1866 were kept above. The assemblages (archaeological at the Polytechnic School in Lisbon but and human bones) from the 1879–1880 were destroyed in a fire in 1978, except for excavations were kept in the Geological the skull taken to Germany, as mentioned Museum in Lisbon, the direct successor of 12 European Journal of Archaeology 2020
Figure 7. Original inventory of the human remains listed according to provenance (João Cardoso per- sonal archive). the Geological Commission Museum, block. Finally, the 3D provenance of all where they remain today. artefacts, fauna, and human remains was As was common at the time, museums recorded and related to the plan of the cave exchanged archaeological items. The as well as to each excavated natural and Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, and the artificial layer (Figure 7). British Museum received such artefacts Some of the items kept in the from the Casa da Moura site, sent respect- Geological Museum in Lisbon still retain ively to John Evans and Henry Hoyle their labels, with information on proven- Howorth in 1889 and 1890 (Cardoso & ance and depth. This information makes it Melo, 2001). possible to reconstruct the spatial and ver- The documentation now published tical distribution of the material excavated clearly shows the methodological innova- almost 150 years ago, almost as accurately tions of the fieldwork developed by Nery as if a modern total station had been used. Delgado. These innovations, exceptional The work carried out by Nery Delgado for the time, included the meticulous plan in 1879–1880 at the Casa da Moura cave, of the area excavated at Casa da Moura, assisted by Miguel Pedroso, shows that the based on a detailed grid imposed on the excavation, but also the study and inventory surface of the cavern. In addition, Nery of the archaeological, anthropological, and Delgado gathered accurate information on faunal remains, were conducted to a high the thickness of the deposits and the eleva- scientific standard. This seminal work was tion of the cave chamber in each excavation served by a critical spirit, methodological Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 13 approach, and innovative character, a rather Compared to William Pengelly’s meth- exceptional feat at the time. odology, the main difference was that the reference system adopted by Nery Delgado was easier to use, involving a more regular FINAL CONSIDERATIONS grid, identifying roughly sub-quadrangular basic units with areas readily adjustable to The objective of the present study is to the pre-existing geometry of the cave. highlight the innovative methodology Indeed, the strict and elongated excavation adopted by Nery Delgado in the 1879– units defined by Pengelly were difficult to 1880 excavation of the Casa da Moura apply in the excavation of a cave and could cave. The documents now published reflect be advantageously replaced, in practical the pioneering spirit of this Portuguese terms, by isometric volumes such as those geologist and archaeologist in the applica- adopted by Nery Delgado, and still used tion of a method still in use today: the today on many archaeological excavations. implementation of an excavation grid, Since there is no indication in any of setting up an orthogonal reference system Delgado’s works and letters that he was that makes it possible to record the position aware of Pengelly’s methods, it is likely of any item. that the two developed their methods Nery Delgado’sarchaeologicalworkat independently. Casa da Moura, begun in 1865–1866 and The field methods used in Iberia at the continued in 1879–1880, was the first exca- time were lagging behind those of other vation of a cave with prehistoric occupation regions in Europe, particularly northern ever carried out in the Iberian Peninsula. The Europe. Spain was even less advanced main objective of the 1865–1866 campaign than Portugal, probably because the wastodocumenttheassociationofstone Portuguese government took an interest in tools with Pleistocene faunas. The excavation prehistoric archaeology at the time, was carried out by a field assistant, Miguel through the Geological Commission and Pedroso, who was instructed by Nery the various official institutions of the Delgado to establish a grid, which he success- second half of the nineteenth century. fully adapted to the geometry of the cavity. Delgado’s original contribution to the Setting up this reference system on the methodology of archaeological fieldwork, ground involved following an axis of sym- using a grid, artificial excavation spits, the metry defined by a line dividing the cave’s 3D provenance of artefacts and human gallery into two roughly equal parts, from remains, and systematic inventories of the which a system of parallel orthogonal lines assemblages by sector and according to the was developed, resulting in the definition of depth of the excavation as it progressed, the basic excavation areas identified by a clearly places him among the pioneers of letter. These areas were excavated according contemporary archaeology. He is one of to predefined artificial levels, which feature the most remarkable nineteenth-century on labels containing a number in metres. European archaeologists, only now rescued This was not without precedent: from oblivion. William Pengelly had already adopted a similar system, based on sediment blocks named ‘yards’, at Kent’s Cavern in 1865, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS resulting in the vertical overlap of succes- sive yards (Davis, n.d.; McFarlane & We wish to thank José Carlos Henrique Lundberg, 2005; Walker, 2015). for the preliminary transcription of the 14 European Journal of Archaeology 2020 documentation on which this article is Shellmiddens, Volume 1. Newcastle upon based and for his dedication in undertak- Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ing such an arduous task, completed with Cardoso, J.L. 1993. Contribuição para o conhe- cimento dos grandes mamíferos do his customary commitment and interest. Plistocénico Superior de Portugal. Oeiras: We are grateful to Miguel Ramalho and Câmara Municipal de Oeiras. José António Anacleto for obtaining the Cardoso, J.L. 2000. As investigações de Carlos photographs of exemplars from Casa da Ribeiro e de Nery Delgado sobre o “ ” Moura kept at the National Laboratory of Homem Terciário :resultadose ’ consequências na epoca e para além dela. Energy and Geology (LNEG) s Estudos Arqueológicos de Oeiras,8:33–54. Geological Museum; to Ana Carneiro for Cardoso, J.L. 2008. Joaquim Felipe Nery providing information of the collectors’ Delgado, arqueólogo. In: M. Ramalho, ed. correspondence that are kept at LNEG’s Nery Delgado (1835–1908), Geólogo do archives; to João Zilhão, for his interest in Reino. Lisboa: Museu Geológico & Centro de História e Filosofia das Ciências, UNL. this study and for providing bibliographic “ ’ Cardoso, J.L. 2013. Carlos Ribeiro, a Breve information on William Pengelly s excava- noticia acerca do terreno quaternário de tion of Kent´s Cavern; and to Armando Portugal”, e a questão do homem terciário Lucena for an earlier English version of em Portugal. Estudos Arqueológicos de – the Portuguese manuscript. Finally, we Oeiras, 20: 27 88. wish to thank Milena Carvalho for help Cardoso, J.L. 2015. A investigação da antigui- dade do Homem no Portugal de with revising the English manuscript as Oitocentos: um contributo para a História well as to Madeleine Hummler for a full da Ciência. Estudos Arqueológicos de Oeiras, English review of the accepted paper. 22: 9–42. Cardoso, J.L. 2018a. Aspectos das explorações em Tróia da Sociedade Arqueológica REFERENCES Lusitana com base em documentação inédita. Estudos Arqueológicos de Oeiras, 24: Antunes, M.T. 1986. Sobre a história da 483–502. Paleontologia em Portugal. In: M.T Cardoso, J.L. 2018b. Primórdios dos estudos Antunes, ed. História e desenvolvimento da pré-históricos em Portugal: os concheiros Ciência em Portuga 2. Lisboa: Academia mesolíticos de Muge (Salvaterra de das Ciências de Lisboa, pp. 773–814. Magos) e a Memória pioneira de Antunes,M.T.,Cardoso,J.L.&Cunha,A.S. 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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES Nuno Bicho received his PhD from João Luís Cardoso is Professor of Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Archaeology at Universidade Aberta. He Texas, in 1992 and is now Professor of finished his PhD in Palaeontology of Archaeology at Universidade do Algarve. Pleistocene Large Mammals at He is currently director of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 1992. He Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology is an expert in zooarchaeology, history of and Evolution of Human Behaviour archaeology, and the Iberian Copper Age. (ICArEHB). His research focus on Stone Cardoso is currently the Vice-rector of Age archaeology, both in Iberia and Universidade Aberta. Africa, particularly in Mozambique and Sudan. Address: Universidade Aberta, Rua Silva Porto, 16, Funchalinho, 2825-834 Trafaria, Address: Interdisciplinary Center for Portugal; Centro de Estudos Arqueológicos Archaeology and Evolution of Human do Concelho de Oeiras (Câmara Municipal Behaviour (ICArEHB), Faculdade das de Oeiras); Interdisciplinary Center for Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Archaeology and Evolution of Human do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005- Behaviour (ICArEHB), Faculdade das 139 Faro, Portugal. [email: Nbicho@ualg. Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade pt]. ORCID: 0000-0001-9655-0549
Nery Delgado, un pionnier des méthodes de fouilles archéologiques dans la grotte de Casa da Moura (Portugal) en 1879–1880
Nery Delgado a joué un rôle important dans le développement des techniques de fouille employées sur les sites préhistoriques portugais à la fin du XIXe siècle, alors que l’archéologie prenait son essor en Europe. Pour la première fois en Europe, il utilisa un système de carroyage sur ses fouilles de 1879–1880 dans la grotte de Casa da Moura (Óbidos, Portugal). Ce carroyage divisait la grotte en vingt-huit secteurs décapés indépendamment, les données archéologiques et anthropologiques étant documentées dans chaque secteur et enregistrées sur des étiquettes sur lesquelles figuraient la profondeur des objets récupérés et le secteur fouillé. Cette méthode d’enregistrement en trois dimensions dimensions fut un précurseur des techniques de fouille actuellement suivies dans le monde entier. Nery Delgado fut ainsi un pionnier des pratiques modernes dont l’importance vient seulement d’être reconnue. Translation by Madeleine Hummler
Mots clés: Paléolithique, Portugal, fouilles archéologiques, méthodologie, Nery Delgado, Casa da Moura
Nery Delgado, ein methodologischer Wegbereiter und seine Ausgrabungen in der Höhle von Casa da Moura in Portugal in 1879–1880
Der Beitrag von Nery Delgado war maßgeblich für die Entwicklung von Ausgrabungstechniken auf urgeschichtlichen Fundstellen in Portugal, als die Disziplin am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts in Europa Cardoso & Bicho ‒ Nery Delgado, Pioneer of Excavation Methods in Portugal 17 aufblühte. Bei den Ausgrabungen der Höhle von Casa da Moura (Óbidos, Portugal) in 18979–1880 führte er erstmals in Europa ein Rastersystem ein. Dieses Vermessungssystem teilte die Höhle in ach- tundzwanzig Abschnitte auf; diese wurden unabhängig ausgegraben, und in jedem Abschnitt wurden alle Funde und Befunde vermessen und mit Angaben der Tiefe und der Abschnitte auf Etiketten regis- triert. Diese dreidimensionale Dokumentation gehört zu den ersten Versuchen, im späten 19. Jahrhundert Informationen über Kontext zu sammeln und ist eine sehr frühe Erscheinung von archäologischen Methoden, die heute weltweit angewendet werden. Somit war Nery Delgado ein Wegbereiter von modernen Ausgrabungsmethoden. Translation by Madeleine Hummler
Stichworte: Paläolithikum, Portugal, archäologische Ausgrabungen, Methodik, Nery Delgado, Casa da Moura
Nery Delgado, pioneiro nos métodos de escavação arqueológica na Gruta da Casa da Moura, 1879–1880
Nery Delgado foi uma figura chave no desenvolvimento dos métodos arqueológicos aplicados a sítios pré- históricos em Portugal, no contexto do desenvolvimento da arqueologia europeia no final do século XIX. Ele foi o primeiro na Europa a usar o método da quadrícula na escavação da Gruta Casa da Moura (Óbidos, Portugal) em de 1879–1880. A quadrícula dividia a gruta em vinte e oito setores, escavados independentemente e onde todos os achados arqueológicos e bioantropológicos foram inventariados e mar- cados com etiquetas onde aparece a informação da respetiva profundidade e unidade de escavação. Este método de registo tridimensional precedeu a adoção das técnicas de escavação de depósitos arqueológicos presentemente seguidas em todo o mundo. Deste modo, Nery Delgado foi um pioneiro das modernas práticas arqueológicas de campo, cuja importância só agora foi dada a conhecer. Translation by the authors.
Palavras-chave: Paleolítico, Portugal, Escavações arqueológicas, Métodos, Nery Delgado, Casa da Moura