O ESTUÁRIO DO RIO POTENGI, PASSADO E PRESENTE: CARTA DE ZONEAMENTO ARQUEOLÓGICO SUBAQUÁTICO DO SÉCULO XVII

Abstract

This article is the result of the final course work entitled “In the waters of the Potengi River: Underwater Archaeological Zoning Chart (17th century)” presented to the undergraduate course in History at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The Potengi River, also known in the 16th and 17th centuries as Pottiou, Rio Grande, Puttigi, Potiji, among others, was already known as a favorable space for navigation, as evidenced by cartographies, iconography and accounts of french, portuguese and dutch travelers from the century 16th and 17th. Using an interdisciplinary approach between History and Archaeology, this article aims to present the areas of underwater archaeological potential in the Potengi River estuary from the 17th century, taking into account the disturbances of the archaeological context over the years, finally presenting the archaeological zoning chart of the area, an important tool for the management of the municipal underwater archaeological heritage.