Portugal 2025 "Europa 2025 - National Archaeological Discoveries (Mainland Portugal)"
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| Issue Date | 09.05.2025 |
| ID | Michel: ; Scott: Stanley Gibbons: ; Yvert et Tellier: ; Category: An |
| Design | Folk Design Photos: Filipe Patrocínio (Souvenir-Sheet), Joao Zilhao (the stamp) |
| Stamps in set | 2 |
| Value | €1.21 - Altar to the Sun and the Ocean €3.51 - Boy from Lapedo |
| Size (width x height) | stamps: 40.0mm x 30.6mm Souvenir-Sheet: 95.0mm x 125.0mm |
| Layout | Sheet of 10 stamps. Souvenir-Sheet with 1 stamp. |
| Products | FDC x1 |
| Paper | 165g/m2 |
| Perforation | 12.25 x 12.0 |
| Print Technique | Offset Lithography, multicolour |
| Printed by | BPost Philately & Stamps Printing |
| Quantity | stamp: 50.000, Souvenir-Sheet: 20.000 |
| Issuing Authority | CTT – Correios de Portugal S.A. |
On May 9th, 2025, the Postal Authority of Portugal issued three stamp sets under the theme Europa 2025 – National Archaeological Discoveries, representing the Azores, Madeira, and mainland Portugal. Each set includes a stamp and a souvenir sheet featuring one additional stamp.
The stamp from the mainland issue features the "Altar to the Sun and the Ocean" from Alto da Vigia, Sintra. This site represents a locus sacer (sacred place) from the Roman era, once considered the westernmost boundary of the European continent.
The souvenir sheet from the mainland issue depicts the skeleton, artifacts, and excavation site of the "Lapedo Child."
Lapedo Child (Abrigo do Lagar Velho, Vale do Lapedo, Leiria)
In December 1998, a team led by archaeologist João Zilhão excavated the burial of a child, approximately four years old, who lived during the Gravettian period (roughly 35,000 to 25,000 years ago), part of the Upper Paleolithic.Under his leadership and that of Erik Trinkaus, an international, multidisciplinary team was assembled to study and publish the findings. The child’s skeleton and funerary context—carefully placed by a group of hunter-gatherers, likely including members of the child’s own family—were discovered in a rock shelter in the leafy Lapedo Valley.
Using advanced analytical methods, researchers recently proposed an updated date range for the burial: between 30,600 and 29,800 years ago. This revision highlights a defining feature of archaeology—the ongoing evolution of knowledge through collaboration with other scientific disciplines.
This unique burial is of major significance for understanding both the evolution of modern humans and how early societies related to death and the dead. In 2021, it was designated a National Treasure and is now housed in the National Museum of Archaeology.
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