Elvio Sousa is the face of archeology in Madeira and one of the leading scientists in this field nationally wide. It was one of the driving forces behind Archais, an association that has as its main objective the dissemination of Portuguese expansion in archeology through excavation and lectures. A survey with more than ten years can also be visited archeological museum of Quinta do Ribeirinho in Machico and that will be the subject of a documentary in 10 episodes on the history channel and RTP1next year.
Over the years you created Archais, did a series of excavations across the island and rise a museum in Machico, tell me a little of that history.
Elvio Sousa: It is been born for ten years. Yes? In 1996 I finished the college and I thought of making in partnership with my colleagues an associative structure that could disclose the archeology of Madeira. In 1998 we created the institution in order to fill these gaps in heritage and this had a regional impact, because alerted consciences, above all, was independent and equidistant from any political activity which was important. The first archaeological excavation took place in 1999 in the parish of Machico, which turns out to be the most important site nationally to understand the archeology of Portuguese expansion and also in the Quinta do Ribeirinho. I can take a leap of over ten years and in 2003 we opened a small museum that has a very strong archaeological component. So in 2006 we did 10 years and we are reaping the fruits of that labor.
The Archais disappeared?
ES: No, now has a more pedagogical component. Conducts and participates in conferences and training sessions with the students. It lost over the years the critical aspect of intervention in society.
Recently you submitted a doctoral thesis on regional archeology, which had the highest score. Tell me a little of the importance of this work?
ES: There was this need when doing research and due to the activity of the association. We had to go to the sites to confirm and substantiate the complaints were referred to us. When there is an alert is necessary to check its veracity, if not we could fell in discredit, as some associations did. And then there was that investing in research and to get that accreditation I had to devote myself to the academy. I did my Masters and PhD with some sacrifice, but it is important to have these degrees mainly to validate the research. Recently, we submitted an application for national archeology projects, funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation, with the aim of studying the expansion of Portuguese archeology, through a documentary and was approved. It was the only application of Madera from the three that were supported at a national level. The fact that I have a degree of doctor, modesty aside, helps to validate the research work. I did everything with an enormous pleasure and I even liked to go further.
The project itself will revolve around the archaeological findings in Madeira?
ES: Exactly, on Madeira and Porto Santo. It is a set of 10 documentaries that will be issued by the history channel, very interactive, with virtual reconstruction all scenarios through the prism of historical archeology of the Portuguese expansion, i.e., how it was populated and how it was growing over time. It is a glimpse of everyday life, where we can see what they ate, what were the items that were part of the house, which was the clothing worn by the ladies, we found in excavations rings, combs, pins and all these findings help build that past. The documentary covers several areas, but all are intertwined with the history of the archipelago. After it will be also be issued on RTP 1. It is a partnership between the CEAM (study center of modern archeology), of which I belong to the national level, supported by the Gulbenkian and the Portuguese television. The project is worth 19 000 euros which is enough to build a documentary, we are assertive enough. I had done some consulting for the history channel. We are going to create a dynamic record, not static, nobody is José Hermano Saraiva, who possessed a great ability to communicate. We are going to use the language of the media, three-dimensional features and historical data to help capture the viewers' attention. It is a very interesting project because it gives us a lot of experience and I think it will have some impact to publicize archeology.
When you start recording?
ES: They begin in October with the investigation. There are pictures of excavations we are examining, maps and documents coming from the Vatican, first we do this compilation and then write an assertive script. You must be a rather rigorous for those who will produced it now what to stress out.
Recently you have been to the Azores for a congress, which was the importance of this event in particular?
ES: We have an archeological work in the Azores, a watch structure on the island of Santa Maria, is the oldest in terms of discovery and settlement, even before the island of São Miguel. We began excavations in 2008 and found in the remains that the building predates the seventeenth century.
What is your position in relation to archaeological finds in the Azorean archipelago that point to colonization by other people?
ES: This is another controversy aside. This week we issued a statement on the matter. Regarding the megalithic monuments the ones in the Azores, I'm very skeptical on the matter, because the evidence is not very compelling. What they claim to be Phoenicians hypogeal and said to be rock art, we also have some of those traces in Madera. If there was a settlement there also would be traces of tombs and cemeteries. If they lived on the island they also died there, which is not the same to say that there were no others passing thru, because there are reports in Madera and the Azores of this nature, with the same name firewood, the problem was that they were not populated. The traces they invoke also exist here in Gaula, at least two Neolithic dolmens, two stones on the sides and one on top, these monuments were used as tombs in prehistoric times and also as corrals for livestock. In the settlement of Madera, the first settlers did it to the image of these dolmens they saw and all this took place in the fifteenth century. Although an archaeologist said it, in these situations, it creates certain sensationalism without first gathering evidence subject to scientific evaluation, as was the case. There were discussions and academic texts that I read on this subject that did not add up, on my part in terms of archaeological expansion I think it's premature to raise these hypotheses without overwhelming evidence.
Tell me a little about the discovery on the lookout on the island of Santa Maria, what is its importance?
ES: It was discovered that after the building is older than the seventeenth century, there are remains going until the fifteenth century, it was proved that the watch post was being built over time. It is important because it is the only one that persists in the Azores and the Portuguese islands, since they all disappeared. These towers were made to watch the ocean, but also served to intimidate those coming from the sea, the corsairs in particular. Santa Maria is an excellent example, because it has a very open bay and it is natural and for those reason they built a lookout, was a great zone to disembark goods.
