Agenda UV

We are pleased to present a list of questions that archaeologists are currently formulating about the past, accompanied by the responses obtained, or in process of being solved, from the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology of the University of Valencia. The aim of this exhibition is to arrive to Valencian citizenship to explain them who we are, how we research and where we are focused, making the most of the outreach programme of the Office of the Vice-Principal for Participation and Territorial Scope. The general public knows better fictional archeology than professional archeology, which unable to compete with the first one, it used to ignore the scientific dissemination until recently. With the panels we offer now, we hope to convey some of the discoveries and treasures of our daily practice, based on real data. From an enriching tradition, the Valencian outlook has not only fundamental archaeological sites to contemplate the experiences of the human groups in the European Mediterranean, between 350,000 BC until the end of antiquity, but also research teams suitable to promote them. The selection of some diverse and discontinuous pages, with so long history has in common the application of a rigorous and competitive methodology for its reading, the consideration of ecological approaches for its interpretation and the willingness to involve the society in a unique heritage in support of its sustainability, with the conviction that only collective appreciation and enjoyment can contribute to keep it. Obtaining knowledge of the past is very complex today, as reviewing the established thirty years ago has been accompanied by the proliferation of sources of study and by the requirement of submit them to analytical studies of the latest generation, which is no longer possible to ignore when scientific results are pursued. Once a hypothesis is formulated, the professional method starts with the prospecting of landscapes, after which, the rhythm of campaigns of archaeological excavations or the cataloging of the remains, located in suitable places in or out of our area, is selectively initiated. It is followed by endless classifications, specific treatment of certain discoveries, many hours of consultations and laboratory tests, as well as collating a bibliography and a graphical documentation not always easy to collect. The work concludes with the historical interpretation of the data. And then, the satisfaction of the scientific discovery persists, as kind of intellectual reward, when conclusions indicate an advanced of the state of the matter capable of being recognized, at least by the scientific community. But as important as academic success is the involvement of those who are not specialists, but they identify themselves with their past, take pride of their archaeological heritage, protect and consider it. Therefore it is advisable to leave the classrooms and laboratories to explain to the public where the research goes and to listen to their interests and concerns, so that past and future, expanding horizons, become compatible.