CA2PT – Archaeology, Archaeosciences, and Paleontology

Silvério Figueiredo, Head

The CA2PT, Center for Archaeology, Archaeosciences, and Paleontology, assumes—except for the collections reserve overseen by the Instituto Património Cultural (IPC)—the responsibilities and functions that the former CPH and CTA, established since 1987, held within the functional structure of the IPT. The CA2PT retains the expertise of these former IPT centers: archaeobotany at the Tomar Unit; archaeology, analysis of archaeological materials, cultural heritage didactics, and publications at the Mação Unit; and adds a new research area, paleontology, which is based at the Tomar Unit.

Objectives

Archaeology Laboratory, located at the Mação Unit of the Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT), dedicated to the analysis of archaeological materials, cultural heritage education, and scientific publishing;

Paleontology Laboratory, also based in Tomar, focused on the study of general paleontology, with a special emphasis on vertebrate paleontology.

The Paleontology Laboratory includes a fully equipped area for fossil analysis, preparation, and conservation (photos 1, 2, and 3), a mapping room with geological and military maps and facilities for scientific photography (photo 4), as well as an osteology room, which houses a reference comparative osteological collection (photos 5 and 6), essential for anatomical and taxonomic studies.