We are pleased to present a list of questions that archaeologists currently ask themselves about the past, accompanied by the answers obtained, or in the process of being answered, by the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology of the University of Valencia. This exhibition aims to make ourselves known to Valencian society and tell them about our research activity, taking advantage of the outreach programme by the Office of the Vice-principal for Territorial Projection and Participation. The general public is more familiar with fictional archaeology than with professional archaeology. The latter, unable to compete with the former, wasn’t concerned about scientific dissemination until recently. We hope to communicate some of the discoveries and treasures of our daily practice, based on actual data, through our panels.

The Valencian landscape has many fundamental sites to explore the experiences of human groups in the Mediterranean area of Europe from 350,000 BC to the end of Antiquity, as well as many research teams to promote them. The selection of some pages, diverse and discontinuous, from such a long history share the application of a rigorous and relevant methodology for its reading, the consideration of ecological approaches for its interpretation and the willingness to involve society in a unique heritage in support of its sustainability, with the conviction that only collective appreciation and enjoyment can contribute to their preservation.

Obtaining knowledge of the past is now a very complex process, as the revision of the knowledge established thirty years earlier has been accompanied by the proliferation of sources of study, and the demands of subjecting them to next-generation analytics, which we can’t ignore when pursuing scientific results. After a hypothesis has been formulated, the professional method starts with the prospection of landscapes, and continues with the long archaeological excavations and cataloging of the remains, located in the right places, within our outside our environment. They are followed by the endless classifications, specific treatment of certain findings, many hours of consultations and laboratory tests as well as the examination of a large bibliography and graphic documentation which is not always easy to collect. The work concludes with the historical interpretation of the data. And then the satisfaction of the scientific discovery continues, as an intellectual reward, when the findings indicate an advance in the state of affairs that can be recognised, at least by the scientific community.

Equally important is the involvement of non-specialists who identify with their past and take pride in their archaeological heritage, preserving and valuing it. Therefore, it is advisable to leave the classrooms and laboratories, to explain to the general public the state of research and listen to their interests and concerns, so that past and future, expanding horizons, become compatible.

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Friday, from 09:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00.

Saturday, Sunday and holidays, from 10:00 to 14:00.

Closed on Mondays.