THE TEMPORALITY OF PERDIGÕES ENCLOSURES: ABSOLUTE CHRONOLOGY OF THE STRUCTURES AND SOCIAL PRACTICES LA TEMPORALIDAD DEL RECINTO DE FOSOS DE PERDIGÕES: CRONOLOGÍA ABSOLUTA DE ESTRUCTURAS Y PRÁCTICAS SOCIALES

Thirty five radiocarbon dates for the Neolithic and Chalcolithic ditched enclosure of Perdigoes (Reguen- gos de Monsaraz, Portugal) are presented. After a discus- sion of some of the problems of dating negative structures, a chronological sequence is presented for the ditch structures and for the social practices related to funerary behaviours and the manipulation of human remains. A clear Neolithic phase is identified, well separated chronologically from the Chalcolithic one. The possibility of the gradual and eventu- ally interrupted development of the site, is discussed. Fu- nerary contexts and the manipulation of human remains are present from the earliest phase of the site, but the practices became significantly diverse during the 3 rd millennium by