Casa de Artes hosts exhibition on the presence of Neanderthals in the region
On the 23rd of June, at the Casa de Artes e Cultura do Tejo, in Vila Velha de Ródão, the exhibition "Desenvolver Ródão, knowing the past, the arrival and extinction of Neanderthal man", was inaugurated, which presents the work of investigation of the region's archaeological heritage, which led to the identification of dozens of archaeological sites dating from the Palaeolithic and make Vila Velha de Ródão known as a good example of collaboration between entities and the wealth that came from it.
The session was attended by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Nuno Fazenda; the mayor of Vila Velha de Ródão, Luís Pereira; the representative of the Alto Tejo Studies Association, Jorge Gouveia; Telmo Pereira, professor and researcher at the Autonomous University of Lisbon; and the coordinator of Autónoma Edições, Raquel Cabeças, on behalf of the Rectory of the Autonomous University of Lisbon.
Taking as a starting point the work to identify and preserve the site of Cobrinhos, identified in 2014, when the current Navigator paper factory was expanded, the exhibition also focuses on the work carried out at Monte da Revelada and Alto da Revelada, during the obligatory work to minimize the environmental impact in the construction of the industrial units of Paper Prime, SA and Roclayer – Plastificadora do Ródão, SA, seen as “a paradigmatic example of how the commitment and collaboration between the various entities involved in this area – the municipality, companies and the academy – makes it possible to reconcile the development of the municipality and the preservation of the historical heritage, whose defense and enhancement we consider to be fundamental for the projection of the municipality”, as Luís Pereira underlined.
The investigation carried out allowed the identification and study of a set of artifacts that document the fascinating and still little known period of human history, in which the Neanderthal man inhabited the territory that is today the municipality of Vila Velha de Ródão, and led to the publication of the monograph “Cobrinhos and the first Neanderthals in Portugal”, which is now in its second edition and is now published by Autónoma Edições, as well as the creation of this itinerant exhibition, which will take to schools, libraries and universities in our country the history of archaeological discoveries in Vila Velha de Ródão, as explained by Telmo Pereira, professor at the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa and one of those responsible for this investigation.
The future of archeology in Vila Velha de Ródão involves integration into the European Route of the Neanderthals, which is being developed by academics and cultural managers in the project “iNEAL: Integrating the Neanderthal legacy: from the past to the present”, in which Telmo Pereira was invited to participate.
“The objective is to create a European route with the most emblematic sites about the Neanderthals and Vila Velha de Ródão is the best place in Portugal to do this work. It is a very rich region for understanding science and the evolution of the landscape and human life, so it makes sense that it is shared not only with scientists, but with the general public, and can contribute to the development of inland tourism. ”, explained Telmo Pereira.
In the same vein, Jorge Gouveia, from the Associação de Estudos do Alto Tejo, also highlighted the innovative theme that the exhibition embodies as a good example of what can be done in a perspective of combining the dissemination of historical and cultural heritage with tourism and expressed the desire to “be able to see the virtuous partnership that developed in the county be established, supported and extended to our entire territorial area of intervention, combining the efforts of heritage defense associations, academia, the Rhodesian municipality and companies , who knew how to understand that knowledge of the past and its preservation must go hand in hand when it comes to the development of the country and especially the interior”.
Also welcoming the work of partnership between these entities and their contribution to the appreciation, preservation and dissemination of the municipality's heritage, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Nuno Fazenda, highlighted that "Vila Velha de Ródão has nature and it has culture, a very rich and essential legacy for us to be able to continue transforming tourism based on authenticity and historical legacy”, assuring the guardianship’s commitment to contribute to the development of tourism in the county and in the region.
The exhibition "Desenvolver Ródão, knowing the past, the arrival and extinction of Neanderthal man" is on display at the Casa de Artes e Cultura do Tejo, until the end of August, where it can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 9:00 am and 5:30 pm.
