Castro of Zambujal, Prehistoric hillfort in Santa Maria do Castelo e São Miguel, Portugal
Castro of Zambujal is a fortified hilltop settlement with layered stone walls and interior spaces that reveal different periods of occupation. The site contains residential structures, storage areas, and defensive passages that become apparent as visitors walk through the protected archaeological grounds.
The site was first settled during the Copper Age around 5000 years ago and continued to be occupied through subsequent millennia. Different construction phases and modifications occurred as succeeding groups adapted and rebuilt the structures for their own needs.
This settlement served as a major gathering place for communities across multiple centuries, where people conducted daily activities and maintained social bonds. Visitors can observe remnants of how inhabitants organized their domestic spaces and structured their living arrangements within the hilltop settlement.
The site sits on elevated terrain and requires some walking to explore the different areas and defensive sections. Visitors should wear comfortable footwear and allow time to navigate the scattered structures and observe the layout from various vantage points.
Remains reveal multiple separate entrance zones that each connected to different interior courtyards, suggesting a sophisticated system of movement control. This arrangement was unusual for settlements of that era and hints at well-organized administrative structures.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
