Earth mortars use on pre-historic habitat structures in south Portugal. Case studies

Analyzing earth mortars from five archaeological habitat settlements in south Portugal allowed deepen the knowledge of some pre-historic building techniques and also contributed to the interpretation and reconstitution of those sites domestic structures.The analysed materials were composed by different types of earth traces: small clayish daub fragments coming from the renderings of two neolithic pits, from Defesa de Cima 2 (Évora); fragments of clayish mortars with branches prints, coming from covering and filling wood structures, from calcolithic settlement of São Pedro (Redondo, Évora); manual and perhaps moulded mudbricks, probably belonging to a wall adjacent to a surrounding moat, from calcolithic settlement of Alto do Outeiro (Beja); big fragments of a hut wall, probably made of stacked earth, from Alcalar calcolithic settlement (Portimão, Faro). Earth materials were burnt by fire, which permitted their conservation until nowadays.The authors believe these analyses can contribute to deeper the knowledge of pre-historic domestic structures and constructive techniques, making possible technological reproduction of habitat settlements.