Mora Megalith Museum participation in the INT-ACT Project

The University of Évora and the Mora Megalith Museum are collaborating with the INT-ACT project - Intangible Cultural Heritage: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future. Funded by the European Union, the project involves several international institutions, including the Universities of Aalto, Edinburgh, and Évora, as well as technology and regional urban planning companies.

The Mora Megalith Museum (or Mora Regional Megalith Centre) is interactive and features several tactile exhibits that blend new technologies with traditional museology and archaeology methods, but it wasn't always like this.

The site's history began in 2014, initially focusing on restoring the buildings of the old Mora railway branch. It later expanded to create a museum centre aimed at illustrating and explaining regional megaliths.

Since its inception, the museum has aimed to enhance the region's archaeological heritage, focusing on megaliths and recent prehistory. Symbols representing the decorations on the schist slabs outside the museum and various elevation levels replicating the terrain's relief and contour lines combine to enhance the landscape and prehistory. The valorization of work carried out in the 20th century by Vergílio Correia was also a fundamental element of the museum. There is a permanent exhibition that includes materials from archaeological excavation campaigns carried out in the municipality, as well as materials donated by private individuals and through protocols with institutions such as Sesimbra Town Hall.

Figure: Museum´s model of the Cromeleque dos Almendres, megalithic monument of the Alentejo Region

On 16 April 2024, researchers from the University of Évora and Aalto University visited the Mora Megalith Museum with a group of volunteers for an ethnographic activity. The activity began with a visit to the Fontaínhas Cromlech, located within the municipality's area, followed by a visit to the museum. The visit to the Fontaínhas Cromlech provided an experience of being around a megalithic monument, which served as a trigger for a storytelling session. Participants shared their experiences and perspectives related to the visit. The activities concluded with a guided tour of the museum.

The aim of the INT-ACT project is to gather information on users' experiences about cultural heritage, with the aim of providing innovative ways of experiencing them.