<< Our Photo Pages >> Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum - Museum in Portugal in Guarda

Submitted by FilipeCSilva on Thursday, 29 September 2011  Page Views: 12685

MuseumsSite Name: Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum Alternative Name: Museu de Arte e Arqueologia do Vale Côa - MAAVC, Coa Valley Archaeological Museum
Country: Portugal Distrito: Guarda Type: Museum
Nearest Town: Viseu - Portugal  Nearest Village: Vila Nova de Foz Côa
Latitude: 41.079900N  Longitude: 7.112322W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 5 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 5

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Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa : A modern building, a bit out of town, overlooking the River Douro. The River Côa flows in the River Douro a bit further upstream, you do not see the confluence from the museum. But you came for the museum, isn't it ? March 2015. (Vote or comment on this photo)
In 1992 a new dam was to be built in the Côa Valley approximately 80 miles due East of Oporto (a 02.50 hour drive) one of the tributaries of the larger Douro River famous for it’s Port vineyards. Had the dam gone ahead, it would have submerged hundreds of these engravings for ever.

The ensuing studies commissioned by EDP (the main electrical generator body in Portugal) for the engineering project, included an environment impact study. Paradoxically, what nearly “drowned” these archaeological locations was responsible for saving them. Though not at all their intent, the impact report ended up identifying and bringing to light, what was more or less neglected and known by very few - hundreds of open-air rock art engravings form the upper paleolithic.

Initially, there was an "institutional shoulder shrug", minimizing the engravings and promoting the construction of the dam. However there was a public outcry demanding that these ancient historic findings should be preserved and not flooded as would be the if the construction went ahead.

Surprisingly, and to its credit, the government opted for the preserving the rock art instead of the immediate economic value of the dam. So in 1996 the Archaeological Park of Vale Côa opened. It encompasses 200 acres along the 17km margins of the river Côa ,

It’s objective is to preserve and protect recent stone age findings and to allow the general public access order to appreciate these engravings in their original sites or locations. The park’s map identifies at least eighty different sites, dating from ancient pre-historic times and hundreds of engravings.

After a decade and half of political bickering and fits and starts, at last - on the 30th July 2010 - a brand new, eye catching, enormous and solid, (very solid), new museum was inaugurated and is now open to visit. It is also the home for an archaeological investigation centre. The location is spectacular, overlooking the Coa Valley on the outskirts of the village of Vila Nova de Foz Côa (See a presentation on the architecture.)
It is lovely and cool inside - very important as in the Summer outside temperatures can easily reach a blistering 35 to 40º Celsius.

It has five main exhibition rooms:

A Côa - World Heritage for Humanity.
B The Land, the Man and the Time.
C Geographical and cultural contextualization of Côa Art.
D Archaic Sanctuary.
E Paleolithic today.

It makes a good mix of interactive appreciation, direct presentation of stone age items, and conveniently placed replicas of some of the most well known engravings (the originals are still in situ) and explanations of the archaeological park.

The museum tour takes around 01:00 to 01:30 and in order to have a good Côa Valley experience, one should visit the museum first and then join one of the guided tours that will take you to the actual sites where the engravings are located. A drive and a hike are usually the norm on these tours.

Some are at dusk and even at night as the engravings are better visualised with the evening shadows or fluorescent light shone on them. The most common representations are horses, wild bulls and mountain goats though there are also human forms, riders and warriors and a lot of yet to be specified material.

The museum staff are extremely eager to show off their shiny new museum and historians and archaeologists abound, being able to answer the most complicated questions that may crop up from the most discerning visitor.

Some general information in English is http://www.igespar.pt/en/monuments/53/ and http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/ type in Coa Valley, Portugal in the custom search.

Filipe C. Silva

THE WORLD OF OUR ANCESTORS IS STILL OURS – Florence Méridieu

Background:
“The Prehistoric rock-art ensemble in the Côa Valley, Portugal, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1998, is an exceptional concentration of rock carvings from the Upper Palaeolithic (22.000-10.000 BCE) and is on a scale that makes it the most outstanding example of early human artistic activity in this form anywhere in the world. The archaeological zone of Siega Verde, in the Castilla y León region (Spain), completes the site. The 645 engravings were made on an impressive cliff, the result of erosion by the river. They are mostly figurative, representing animals, although some schematic and geometric figures have also been identified. The prehistoric rock-art sites of the Côa Valley and Siega Verde represent the most remarkable open-air ensemble of Palaeolithic art on the Iberian Peninsula.”

Extracted from the UNESCO report on it’s 22nd session of the World Heritage Comission - Kyoto 1999.

We have photos of some of the surrounding rock art on this page and there are photos of the construction of the museum below from Panoramio.
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Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa : A very elaborate original engraving, now preserved in the museum. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa : An original engraving now preserved in the museum. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa : A replica of a fragmented slab. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa : A replica of a slab left 'in situ'. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum
Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum submitted by Alta-Falisa (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 234m ENE 65° Vila Nova de Foz Côa* Rock Art
 2.3km W 278° Côa Valley* Rock Art
 2.8km S 180° Gravuras de Rego da Vide* Rock Art
 6.8km W 263° Castelo Velho de Freixo de Numão* Henge
 8.1km S 176° Gravuras de Penascosa* Rock Art
 8.4km S 176° Núcleo de Gravuras da Penascosa* Rock Art
 11.0km W 264° Prazo Menhir* Standing Stone (Menhir)
 11.1km W 263° Estação Arqueológica do Prazo* Ancient Village or Settlement
 14.2km NNE 21° Cabeço de Alfarela Castro or Chafurdão
 14.7km NNW 334° Anta de Vilarinho da Castanheira* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 22.2km NNE 13° Povoado de Baldoeiro Castro or Chafurdão
 23.0km ESE 116° Pena Redonda Castro or Chafurdão
 25.5km SW 231° Lameira da Cima 2* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 25.5km SW 231° Lameira de Cima 1* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 26.3km WSW 243° Menir de Penedono* Standing Stone (Menhir)
 26.5km NW 325° Anta de Zedes* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 26.6km WSW 257° Sepultura antropomórfica de Cômbaros Rock Cut Tomb
 26.7km WSW 256° Sepulturas antropomórficas de Fonte Fria Rock Cut Tomb
 27.7km SW 234° Sepulturas antropomórficas de Antas* Rock Cut Tomb
 27.7km WSW 256° Sepulturas antropomórficas da Vale de Perdieiros* Rock Cut Tomb
 27.7km W 260° Anta do Turgal* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 27.9km WSW 237° Rotunda das Antas* Modern Stone Circle etc
 28.3km WSW 257° Dolmen do Carvalhal* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 28.3km WSW 257° Monte Penedono Dolmen* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
 28.3km WSW 256° Dólmens de Lapinhas* Burial Chamber or Dolmen
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"Parque Arqueologico do Côa Museum" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Re: The Coa Valley Archaeological Museum - Update by Andy B on Monday, 26 September 2011
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FilipeCSilva writes: A year has gone by and, as promised, I popped up again to Foz Côa to see how the museum had evolved and write a few lines to add to my article about the subject. The overall views concerning the museum and its purposes are, I believe, sufficiently covered on the initial article and so still valid, therefore I will try not to repeat myself.

The web site http://www.arte-coa.pt is finally up and running well presented in English giving a good overview of what you can expect and links to activities of the surrounding areas. Have a look at it as it will help plan a eventual visit. The museum staff, are very friendly and, I am sure, will try and do their utmost to help make a visit a pleasurable experience.

The tour of the museum itself takes about an hour to an hour and a half but, as mentioned in my previous article, I suggest that a joint guided tour to the sites would be very worthwhile. Some of these tours are at dusk and even at night as the engravings are better visualized with the evening shadows or fluorescent light shone on them.

The most common representations are horses, wild bulls and mountain goats though there are also human forms, riders and warriors and a lot of yet to be specified material. I would recommend that you organize and book a tour previously and stay overnight in Vila Nova de Foz Côa.

Having said this I must emphasize that some planning must be accomplished on part of any visitor as the driving times to the museum are not short: Salamanca or Oporto (02:50 hrs and you will be able to pass the thousands of acres of vineyards where Port Wine is made), Vigo (04:15hrs), Lisbon (04:30hrs), Madrid (04:50hrs) or Bilbao (06:25hrs).

More signs have been placed at the town outskirts making it easier to find your way. If you gather the stamina to go over for a visit you also may want to drive around and see the many megaliths sprawled all over the place and the best way to know where they are located is the Megalithic Portal.

Some peculiarities still exist namely; the closing of the museum between 12:30 and 14:00 closing again at 17.30 and specially, the non-functioning cafeteria which is to put it mildly quite bizarre as any visitor after a long day would like to relax, have a snack and soak in the magnificent, yet harsh, view that of the surrounding area.

On the whole, I would add that the hesitations of a year ago have past and the museum warrants a visit for all who appreciate this kind of activity. Any time of the year is good just bear in mind that Summer can be blistering hot in that region of Portugal, Spring and Autumn quite mild and Winter quite cold.
Enjoy the visit.
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The Coa Valley Archaeological Museum by Andy B on Tuesday, 10 August 2010
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Here’s a preview of the museum that's about to open. As one drives up to a cliff overlooking the gorge, the museum is nowhere in sight, since one arrives on its roof, which is worked into a crest overlooking the valley. To make it even more fitting, the same slate that the art is engraved on at nearly 60 sites along the Côa was powdered into the cement, which was then held in place by huge slate slabs that lent their grain to the rock-colored walls. They're so suggestive that one can't help but look for engravings of animals even in the reinforced concrete!

http://web.me.com/duncancaldwell/Site/The_Coa_Valley_Archaeological_Museum.html
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