The prehistorie settlement of Leeeia is loeated on a brow overlooking the valley of the river Barcarena, about 3 km from rhe Tagus estuary (Oeiras, Lisbon; fig. 1-3). Alrhough rhe sire is known since rhe 19, h century', sysremaric excavarions were conducred only between 1983 and 2002, revealing a complex setdemenr fortified by a defence sysrem of massive stone walls and towers'. The well-preserved strarigraphy reaehes from Bell Beaker contexrs down to a lare 4'" millennium Neolirhie strarum. The Copper Age occuparion ar rhe sire ean be divided into an Early Chalcolirhie Oayer 3}, daring between 2800 and 2600 BC, and a Middle Chalcolithie Oayer 2}, daring between 2600 and 2300/2200 BC The Bell Beaker complex occurred ar around 2600 BC and seems to have been present ar rhe site until 2000 BC; ie it went ali along wirh rhe Middle Chalcolirhic marerial assemblage and finally oudived it chronologically'. The settlement comprises a series of roundhouses with stone foundarions, remnants of adobe supersrructures as well as fireplaces ofren defined by slanding plate stones. Remains of a stone pavemem linking some of rhe stone Slructures were found in rhe sourh-easrern part of the sire.

However, thus far litde is known about the living activilies ar Leeeia and rhe socio-cultural and socio-economie role played by lhe site in the late 4'" and)'" millennium BC Irs elevated posirion, size and rich marerial assemblage are srrong arguments for inrerpreting it as a, Central Place,'similar to Vila Nova de São Pedro (Azambuja)'and Zambujal (Torres Vedras)', probably controlling the local setdement area'. ln this papel'we presem and discuss new ehemical and lead isotope data of arehaeometallurgical remains from rhe site, in order to learn more about the role the innovation of