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Cangosta da Palha - Roman
burial site/ Medieval Elevation |
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Frigideiras do cantinho- Roman
House |
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Excavations
From 1976 onwards, archeology in Braga became a regular, professional activity, facilitated by a team which grew and became more specialized.
Since then, dozens of archeological interventions have taken place, such as simply accompanying building works for the installation of electricity, telephone and gas infrastructures, numerous salvages in areas targeted for urban construction and rehabilitation, and planned excavations for the study of buildings as with the hill in Alto da Cividade and in Carvalheiras.
About 26 years after its creation, the Bracara Augusta project is now an inter-institutional project in which the following organisations participate: the Archeology Unit of the Minho University, which was set up in 1977 and is responsible for the project; the D. Diogo de Sousa Museum which was revitalized in 1980 and is responsible for the remains and ruins; and the Archeology Section of the Town Hall, which was established in 1992 and is primarily involved in the historical centre of Braga.
The joint action of these institutions with complementary activities and responsibilities, has allowed for the gathering of an enormous quantity of data related to the urbanisation and public and private architecture of Bracara Augusta. Excavations have revealed burial grounds, subterranean remains of the wall built between the end of the III Century and beginning of the IV, as well as evidence of ancient craft making areas of the city.
Apart from the knowledge gained form the excavations, they have expanded Braga's heritage. Depending on the state of preservation and the interest value of the ruins, it has been possible to find diverse solutions for their conservation. Some archeological areas have been classified and protected, as with the Alto Cividade Hill and the Carvalheiras block. In some cases, there has been a conservation and display of the ruins preserved in the subsoil, as with the Frigideiras do Cantinho or the Bibliopolis building, with even more of this kind of preservation likely to happen to other ruins of interest. In other cases, the ruins were preserved, covered and sealed artificiallly , as happened at the Santiago Seminary. Finally, some of the ruins were destroyed, after relevant research and study had taken place.
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