ABSTRACT
The use of earth in the construction of prehistoric habitat structures has been, to date, a little deepened theme, although the presence of its traces is often recorded during archaeological works. This omission is quite comprehensible, since the recognition of the relevance of earth building materials to the understanding of archaeological structures is relatively recent. So, with the developed research from a PhD thesis in Prehistory, the author tried to contribute to a better understanding of prehistoric architectures in southern Portugal, through the study of the available remains, and adding clay based materials to the incomplete “puzzle” of domestic structures. Case studies included laboratorial analysis of traces of clay based materials such as earth mortars covering and filling vegetable structures and renderings, mudbricks and massive walls, and provided a better characterization of construction techniques and materials. This permitted some new interpretations of the structures and contributed to their hypothetical reconstitution.
