Considerações sobre o papel da Geologia e seus atores no universo arqueológico de António dos Santos Rocha

The geological nature of a territory is one of the influential factors of human occupation. A close relationship exists between the location of archaeological sites, landscape and geological substrate. The physical area of Figueira da Foz records numerous examples of this connection. António dos Santos Rocha was probably aware of its importance for the Recent Prehistory and Protohistory primitive settlement that was established around the calcareous massif of Serra da Boa Viagem. For this innovative approach, he benefited from published fieldwork studies and regular collaborations with several geologists, including Nery Delgado and Paul Choffat from the Geological Commission of Portugal, and also Gonçalves Guimarães, professor of the University of Coimbra. The first got married and owned a house in Figueira da Foz. He designed the first water supply project for the town and played a significant influence on Santos Rocha’s studies on the Neolithic. Guimarães was a member of the commission that validated the first archaeological discoveries. Choffat studied the Jurassic geology of the Cape Mondego coalmine and the Serra da Boa Viagem massif, where many of the sites discovered by Santos Rocha were located. He also assisted him in the study of the Casal Verde flint. This multifaceted relationship is one of the most interesting early examples of collaboration with geologists in the historiography of Portuguese Archaeology.