The visigoth slate of Moradios (Malhada Sorda, Almeida) and its impact to the discussion on the relevance of this archaeological site during the Early Middle Ages

Abstract

We present the discovery in Portuguese territory of a fragment of a written pizarra (i.e., a Visigothic schist slate), increasing the number of known finds and allowing several conclusions to be drawn regarding the dispersal of this type of epigraphs, whilst also reflecting on the importance of the archaeological site of Moradios during the Swabian‑Visigothic period. The assembly of ruins known and reviewed in this text now suggests that the Roman settlement had continuity in the Late Roman period and that it probably played a part of territorial importance during the Swabian‑Visigothic period, something that was previously unknown. Considering the significant extension of the urban area and the nature of the remains and gathered materials, the site meets the conditions for the headquarters of the parish of Coleia mentioned in the Parochiale Suevorum since it is one of the largest sites with the attested occupation of the 6th‑8th centuries in all the Alto Côa region.