‘The ditches have a remarkably regular sinuosity, forming semi-circular lobes. They are between 2 and 4 metres wide and can reach depths of 2 to 3 metres. From the inside out, they delimit 279m2, 3313m2 and 14650m2. At the surface were fragments of ceramic containers, a ceramic fragment with symbolic decoration, bits of limestone idols, spheroid perforators and carved stone material. The site is on a gentle slope, facing east, where the visual horizon extends without barriers. To the southeast, you can see the elevation where the city of Beja stands; to the northeast, the Portel mountain range marks the horizon. No defensive concerns were taken into account, favouring an eastward orientation. It was likely a ceremonial site of a strong sacred nature, where ritualised practices occurred at certain times of the annual cycle.’

It is the most prominent sinuous enclosure with patterned lobes in the Guadiana basin, its main parallels in the region being Santa Vitória (Campo Maior), Rouca 7 (Sousel), Outeiro Alto, Borralhos and Folha do Ouro (all in Serpa). There are two main aspects for understanding this ditched enclosure: on the one hand, the alignment of the entrances with an astronomical event documents how many of these enclosures incorporate cosmological and symbolic concepts into their architectural designs. On the other hand, we have the segmented nature of the construction of some of the ditches, visible in the geophysical image. The ditches were not continuous nor opened all at once, but rather, constructed in small sections added to each other, sometimes partially cutting off the previous sections (in some enclosures, after their filling). Open sections, intentionally filled with the outcome of periodic activities, were added gradually, forming the outer boundary of the enclosures but with a design coherent with the inner ditches, showing evident planning.

Surface prospecting and geophysical prospecting by magnetometry.

Valera, António Carlos, (2008), “O novo recinto de fossos calcolítico de Xancra (Cuba, Beja)”, Apontamentos de Arqueologia e Património, 2, NIA-ERA, p.23-26 / Valera, A.C. e Becker, H. (2011), “Cosmologia e recintos de fossos da Pré-História Recente: resultados da prospecção geofísica em Xancra (Cuba, Beja)”, Apontamentos de Arqueologia e Património, 7, Lisboa, NIA-ERA Arqueologia, p.23-32.