Neolítico, datar para creer ... ¿Un problema a resolver o de imposible resolución?

Abstract

The development, during the last two decades, of systematic archaeological surveys and excavations, related to measures for minimizing negative impacts as well as research projects, has allowed us to learn more about the territories preferred by the Neolithic populations in inland Alentejo, and thus to refute traditional theories put forward during the 1970s and the 1980s. The many habitat locations, identified as being part of the initial phases of the Neolithic period through the artefacts recovered, are set in areas with very specific geomorphologic characteristics. On the other hand, the relationship between the world of the living and that of the dead continues to be problematic, with chronologies being one of the major issues that must be resolved. In this work, we present a summary of the available information about this region, seeking to define the preferential occupancy areas, reflecting on the problems associated with their characterization and evolution.