Archaeological research is essential in the restoration of cultural assets. Casa Garibaldi, located in Piratini, Rio Grande do Sul, housed the newspaper "O Povo" and the Carbonari Garibaldi and Rossetti, important figures in the Farroupilha Revolution. Virtually the entire restoration work of the house took place without archaeological oversight, only present during the final stages. For the project, historical research was conducted on the importance and uses of the house in the regional context, fieldwork, which needed to be adapted to the situation, and curation of the retrieved material. We opened two test pits and conducted five excavations in the unpaved area of the courtyard, limited by the new construction structures. In the historical research, the cultural value of the house during the Farroupilha Revolution period in the first half of the 20th century became clear. The occupation of the building and its uses from the 1980s onwards were elucidated. We believe that in the earlier period, it may have been a residence for local residents. The excavations resulted in material finds (pottery, glass, fauna, metals) from the 19th and 20th centuries and suggested the existence of a larger feature located below the newly constructed bathrooms. There is a change in the soil stratigraphy, disturbed and with two layers of fill from different periods. The identified material may be related to any of the periods of occupation of the house, or may even have been partially transported with sediments for landfill. However, it provides information about the circulation of imported goods in Piratini from an early stage, already in the early 19th century, and shows its potential for archaeological research, which could significantly contribute to the understanding of lifestyles, urbanization processes, and economic development of the city. Finally, the reported case highlights the damages caused by works on listed buildings that occur without archaeological oversight
Read full abstract