Castro de Sabroso

Castro de Sabroso is an Iron Age fortified settlement atop a hill near the Ave River in Guimaraes, northern Portugal, dating to the second half of the 1st millennium BC. Covering approximately 3 hectares, it is enclosed by two stone walls, with the outer wall reaching 5.2 m high and 4.2 m thick, featuring remarkable polygonal masonry. Inside, 36 circular dwelling structures are visible. Its inhabitants practiced agriculture, pastoralism, metallurgy, and pottery with impressive granite-working skills. First excavated by Francisco Martins Sarmento in 1877-1878, and later surveyed by Oxford's Christopher Hawkes in 1958, it was declared a National Monument in 1910. The settlement was abandoned around 2,000 years ago following Roman conquest.