Cardoso, João Luis2025-06-132025-06-132025-05http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/27224In Estremadura, there are three major Chalcolithic fortified settlements, which are also those that have been studied for the longest time. Although they adopted common architectural solutions, they evolved independently, starting with the need to adapt to the natural geomorphological conditions prevailing in each case. Leceia, Zambujal and Vila Nova de São Pedro are clear examples of how, in Lower Estremadura, during the Chalcolithic, the traditional concepts of “fortification”, “interaction” and “economic intensification” were strongly interdependent: although there could be interaction and economic intensification without fortification, the reverse does not seem possible for the period and region in question, as clearly is provd by the archaeological evidence.porChalcolithicFortified settlementLower EstremaduraEconomyProduction technologiesCalcolíticoPovoado fortificadoBaixa EstremaduraEconomiaTecnologias de produçãoPortugaljournal article