the property, and only the chapel of Santa Catarina remained, reflecting the archaeological importance. The first archaeological excavations began in 1997 and on 27 October the municipal council of Loures proposed the classification of the site. Many of the artefacts located on site were collected and stored in the Municipal Museum of Loures. Yet, nothing ever developed from this proposal and a secondary petition was made on 21 March 2002. On 12 October 2004 the process was opened by the Vice-President of the IPPAR Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico), the national architectural heritage institute. It was followed on 26 January 2012 by a proposal to classify the structures by the DRCLVTejo as a Sítio de Interesse Público (Site of Public Interest) and included in its respective zone of special protection. The proposal was approved on 29 February of the Cultural National Council. Architecture Implanted alongside the ravine of Póvoa, the settlement was formed away from its banks, to escape flooding from the River Trancão, near Sacavém. The Roman village was one of the more important archaeological sites in the municipality of Loures; it reflects the Roman organization and planning that persisted during the period of Imperial Rome until the early Middle Ages. The site has been explored systematically since 1997. The terra sigillata soils were very settled in this region and the excavated area did not permit a rigorous investigation. Artefacts discovered on the site include fragments of Roman mosaics, discovered in 1997 near the Chapel of Santa Catarina; unearthed and examined, the items dated to the 3rd century, suggesting a longer period of settlement. It is unclear what purpose the place of its discovery was used; the mosaic was part of the principal pavement of one of the principal halls/rooms in the residential building. More recent campaigns identified peristyles of various levels of destruction, and a triclinium, as well as other unidentified structures. There are various walls of differing heights and orientations, making interpretation difficult. See also Olisipo References Notes Sources Frielas Archaeological sites in Lisbon District Sites of Public Interest in Portugal