Rumansil I (Murça-do-Douro): a roman artisanal complex in the Douro Valley

Abstract

The area around Freixo de Numão (Vila Nova de Foz Côa) is widely known for its contributions on roman agricultural explorations. Among these sites, one is paramount for the variety of activities which were made there: metal works, of both iron and lead, pottery, both of common and fine vessels and dolia, and wine production. Though the data on the building of the site is not concrete, it’s abandoned during the third century, with a limited occupation throughout the fourth century. Rumasil I is located in a territory dominated by granite, a few kilometers south of the Douro Valley. The study of this site is essential to understand the network of agricultural explorations around Freixo de Numão, an area where researchers have thought to have had an indigenous capital and might have played an important role on the rural space of this area of the Douro during roman times.