Interest in the ancient traces of human presence in the area now known as Herdade da Comenda dates back to the late 19th century, coinciding with the early days of archaeological activity in Portugal.
The earliest evidence of human activity identified in this location dates back to the Neolithic period.
In 1905, António Inácio Marques da Costa—one of the leading archaeologists of his time and a pioneer in regional archaeological studies—documented these findings in the journal O Archeologo Português:
“On the right bank of the river [Ajuda], about 400 meters upstream from the Roman fish-salting tanks and at the foot of Monte Vaqueiro, I found the remains of a settlement that, judging by their characteristics, can be classified as Neolithic. The nature of these remains and the proximity of the Sado estuary and bay lead me to believe that there was a small port and a fishing village here. In addition to many stones of a different substance from the local rock, which were likely brought here to build the walls of dwellings, there were ashes, charcoal, and many remains of objects showing human activity.”
A.I. Marques da Costa, “Estações prehistoricas dos arredores de Setubal: habitaçoes prehistoricas ao longo da costa marítima”, O Archeologo Português, Vol. X, 1905, pp. 189-190.