Was There a Pre-Roman Occupation in Coimbra, Portugal? The Contribution of Rua Fernandes Thomaz, 72–74 for Understanding Occupation of the Territory of Aeminium during the Transition from the Iron Age to the Roman Era

Iron Age studies are scarce for the city of Coimbra, besides the findings from the Machado Castro Museum, and therefore this intervention has revealed an important heritage collection. The recovered artefacts, which can be associated with the indigenous world, reveal regional parallels with Conimbriga, the Aeminium Forum and Lomba do Canho. There is clear evidence of region-wide homogenisation of pottery morphologies, surface treatments and production processes. A structure dated from the period of the Roman emperor Augustus aligned with the steep natural geological profile, with unobstructed views over the Mondego river, was found in the interior of a medieval defensive wall, making it possible to deconstruct the chronological periods of the locale, which is consistent with an Iron Age occupation, since at least the second century B.C. More importantly, it is necessary to understand the spatial contextualisation of this archaeological site through morphological analysis of the pottery in a local and regional context and comprehend the chronological hiatus and settlement between the archaeological sites located in the estuary mouth, from other sites found upstream along the Mondego river.