Megalithic monuments of Alcalar live more “A Day in Prehistory”
Portimão will once again experience “A Day in Prehistory”, on the 11th of May, at the Megalithic Monuments of Alcalar, located within the municipality.
Throughout this recreation, which runs from 10am to 00pm and has free entry, participants will learn about the daily lives of the prehistoric populations that inhabited the region around five thousand years ago.
Experimental archeology once again marks the offering of this initiative, with a set of proposals that will allow visitors to participate and watch everything from food preparation to cooking, with cockles, clams and fish also on the menu.
Without matches or knives, the team – specialized in this type of experimentation – will make a fire and prepare food as was the case five thousand years ago, using stone instruments.
It will be possible to learn about the manufacture of tools, the carving processes, the preparation and cooking of food, the making of prehistoric beer, how agricultural instruments and ornaments were made, how large monoliths were transported, what grinding was like and the engraving workshop based on the graphic patterns of slate slabs.
The day will also be livened up by the presence of students attending the drama course at Escola da Bemposta, who will recreate everyday scenes from those ancient times, namely the burial ceremony in megalithic monuments.
This diverse recreation, which has been taking place since 2006, will count on the collaboration of the Parish Councils of Portimão, Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande, the Group of Friends of the Portimão Museum, the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission and the School Group from Bemposta, providing «a set of experiences based on studies already carried out on the Alcalarense territory and the work carried out by researchers from the universities of Stuttgart and Córdoba and by the Archeology Center of the University of Lisbon».
Book “Snapshots of the Past”, by António Marreiros
The historical recreation of the 11th of May is part of the set of initiatives promoted by the Portimão Museum to mark its 16th anniversary and open to the public, whose program includes the launch of the book “Instantaneous of the Past”, by António Marreiros, in a scheduled session to 18pm on May 00th, in the auditorium.
This activity is part of the commemorative program for the centenary of the city of Portimão and should include the presence of the author, who, through poetry, photography and painting, has recorded the daily life of Mexilhoeira Grande, the village where he was born in January 1932.
On the anniversary day, May 17th, the Portimão Museum will share, at around 19:30 pm, the birthday cake, followed by a sunset with a DJ next to the Marion 2 crane, scheduled for 20:00 pm and accompanied by a projection of images from from the building's windows.
On the 18th of May, International Museum Day, from 10 am the starting signal will be given for the face-to-face modality of the 00th Portimão Photographic Race, inspired by the centenary of the elevation to the category of city, which took place in 24 on the initiative of the then President of Republic, the illustrious Portimo native Manuel Teixeira Gomes.
On the theme “100 Years of City”, and evoking the close relationship between the distinguished writer and his homeland, participants will be confronted with six small excerpts, taken from his literary work, motivating many other photographic records, which must be obligatorily captured in Portimão.
International Museum Day, created by ICOM and celebrated annually on May 18, serves as a global platform to promote the role of museums in cultural exchange and development.
This year's theme will be “Museums for Education and Research” and, as in previous years, admission will be free to the Portimão Museum and the Alcalar Megalithic Monuments Reception and Interpretation Center.
Opened on May 17, 2008, the Portimão Museum has fulfilled its main mission, by assuming itself as a permanent social observatory and laboratory of ideas and stories, a cultural bridge between past and future, and a decisive meeting point for discovery, knowledge and enjoyment of local heritage.
Additional information about “A Day in Prehistory in Alcalar” can be requested by calling 282 405 230/ 282 248 594 or by e-mail at m
