- Analysis of urban constructive contexts -

During the last 35 years several excavations were held in urban area of Braga which has evidenced features corresponding to the orthogonal design of the Roman city of Bracara Augusta. Since most of the excavations carried out in Braga have not yet been systematically studied in order to define the chronologic phases of buildings, which involves an exhaustive study of the artifacts associated with archaeological sequences, it has been impossible so far to establish precisely the changes of the urban foundational layout.

The only methodology to approach the changing of the urban landscape undergoes a systematic study of constructive information available, which requires a refinement of the chronological occupation sequences, with phases of renewal and abandonment, as well as superposition by other structures dated from Late Antiquity or Medieval times.

Therefore, this task comprises an accurate stratigraphic review, the analysis of available construction contexts and the study of artifacts which could provide finer chronologies. The accurate dating of the buildings with regards to its foundation, reforming and abandonment, as well as the construction of new equipment’s overlapping the former can provide consistent evidence for the evolution of urban topography in the long duration.

This task aims to obtain consistent chronological information of building changes but also spatial and topographical data, particularly relating to the processes of ground adjustment which may enable the execution of Task 2.