Located between the Calvão and Vidoeiro streams, the so-called Poço das Freitas is one of the most significant examples of ancient mining activity in the Terva Valley. The extraction zone covers an area that extends in a north/south direction for around 1,000 metres and around 700 metres in an east/west direction. The open excavation areas are clearly visible, with numerous cuts and trenches, cut by underground galleries and vertical shafts.
Inside some of the galleries you can still see the negatives of the shoring, in the form of tears and needles, as well as some niches for Roman lamps, the lucernas.
It is believed that the lagoon may be the result of a Roman dam.
The lagoon that gives the site its name, the Poço das Freitas, is configured as an embalse and may have corresponded to a saepti (Roman dam), fundamental in the mining process.
After the intense exploitation of the Roman period, the area has seen recurrent exploitation, but it has been small-scale and episodic, with the last one being documented at the beginning of the 20th century.
Location
The dirt roads are not suitable for light vehicles.
More about the Terva Valley Archaeological Park (TVAP) here.
More about the TVAP Mines Route here.
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