Castelões 2, Chaves, North Portugal

3D Model

This Late Bronze Age ‘warrior’ stela was found with another stela (Castelões 1) on the top of a hill in Castelões, Chaves, North Portugal. The stela is made of a fine granite. It measures 150 cm in height (now 20 cm are buried) and is rather flat (13-15 cm thick). The decorated surface has a smooth finish, while the reverse is coarse.The decorated surface is framed by an original zig-zag frieze (being the only other exaple the stela of Casteloes 1). The decoration is composed of three elements represented at life-size scale: a spear (top), a sword (bottom) and a Herzprung shield in the centre (extremely similar to the Cloonbrin leather shield from Ireland). There are also a schematic human figure to the right, with an element (bag?) in their hand, and a nearby dog.

*We are now conducting a new assessment of these two stelae and their find-spots. A preliminary study was published in 2013 by Silva et al in the volume “Arqueologia em Portugal 150 anos”. Lisboa: Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses,p. 625-632.