Universitat de ValènciaDepartment of Prehistory, Archaeology and Ancient History Logo del portal

    • Iberian Archaeology

The Iberian culture has a long tradition in the archaeology of the Valencian region. The Department of Prehistory, Archaeology and Ancient History has always had this research line as one of its priorities, developing projects at the height of the most advanced approaches to protohistoric research. Landscape and territory, economy and alimentation, craft production, ritual practices, sensory archaeology, epigraphy and numismatics are some of the areas with the greatest profusion of study in recent decades. Several Iberian sites are currently under excavation, in collaboration with institutions such as the Prehistoric Museum of Valencia- Servicio de Investigación Prehistórica, the Museum of Teruel and several municipalities: Pico de los Ajos (Yátova, Valencia) (dir. David Quixal and C. Mata Parreño), Cueva del Sapo (Chiva, Valencia) and Cueva Merinel (Bugarra, Valencia) (dir. Sonia Machause López and Agustín Diez Castillo) or El Alto Chacón (Teruel) (dir. Marta Blasco Martín together with Marta Pérez-Polo of the UAH), among others.

    • Phoenician-Punic Archaeology

Following in the path of M. Tarradell (1920-1995) with his excavations in Morocco, the department has maintained a permanent line of international research on the Phoenician-Punic culture. C. Aranegui Gascó co-directed, together with the Moroccan INSAP, the excavations of Lixus (Larache, Morocco) between 1995 and 2009, studying from the first Phoenician occupation of the site, in the 8th century BC, to the realization of the great palatial project of the Mauritanian king Juba II. C. Gómez Bellard has directed and co-directed several projects in Ibiza (Sa Cala, Morna, Es Figueral) between 1986 and 2003 and Sardinia between 2007 i 2015 (Truncu’e Molas, Pauli Stincus) studying various Punic farmsteads. I. Fumadó Ortega has studied Carthaginian urbanism and, since 2019, co-directs together with the Tunisian Institut National du Patrimoine the study of the hinterland of the ancient city of Carthage (Jebel Mergueb, Villa de Gammarth, etc.), with the aim of analyzing the occupation strategies and the exploitation dynamics of natural resources offered by this territory. Within the scope of these projects, together with D. Quixal Santos, we will proceed to a comparative study of these dynamics and those documented between the Júcar and Palancia rivers (Valencia), during the final centuries of the first millennium BC. We understand this historical-archaeological analysis of the formative phases of the urban phenomenon in the central Mediterranean and in the Iberian Peninsula as an exploration of its transforming impact on the landscape and on ancient societies, from an economic, cultural and demographic point of view.

    • Classical Archaeology

Also in the wake of M. Tarradell, the department has carried out systematic archaeological work at important sites in the Valencian Country and abroad, such as Pompeii (Italy) between 1989 and 1998. Special attention has been paid to the knowledge of communication routes, urban planning and Roman rural settlement; to the maritime and land trade of elaborated products; to material culture studies, mainly sculpture and epigraphy, with special attention to ceramic productions, including archaeometric studies. All these aspects cover a chronological framework that encompasses both the Republican and Imperial Roman periods, extending to Late Antiquity and the Visigothic period.

    • Ancient Numismatics and Epigraphy

The study of inscriptions and ancient coins is another main topic of the Department. The major areas of epigraphic research are Greek, Paleo-European and Latin inscriptions, with special emphasis on the study and edition of Iberian and Roman epigraphs from the East of the Iberian Peninsula. We are also working on the improvement of archaeometric techniques for the detection of false epigraphs, especially in metal.

The main lines of numismatic research are the coinage of the Greek and Punic colonies of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, the Paleo-Hispanic and provincial Roman coins, as well as the Carthaginian issues and the monetization process of Punic societies. Special attention is given to the coinfinds during archaeological excavations, as well as the treasures. Finally, it is worth mentioning the involvement of the department, at different levels, in three on-line databases:

  • The edition of the Hespèria Paleo-Hispanic Language Database, whose main objective is the compilation, arrangement and treatment of all the inscriptions in the ancient languages of the Iberian Peninsula.
  • The direction and edition of Moneda Ibérica (MIB), a knowledge database for the study, documentation, cataloguing, archiving and dissemination of the numismatic heritage minted in the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and southern Gaul between the 6th and 1st centuries BC.
  • The direction and edition of Carthaginiancoinfinds, a database of geolocalized pre-imperial coinfinds from archaeological excavations in Carthage and its territory.

    • Heritage

All the research developed in the previous lines has an adequate projection through dissemination, which is carried out both in academic and non-academic environments. The actions are adapted to calls for open days with animations and workshops oriented to an amateur audience, since they are aimed at transferring knowledge to society as a means to inculcate the protection of heritage. On the other hand, we collaborate in academic exhibitions and in debate forums on the future of archaeological heritage.

    • Spatial Archaeology

The group has a clear vocation for studies focused on spatial archaeology. The georeferencing of archaeological elements is increasingly essential, as it has always been, but in the world of new technologies geolocation is ubiquitous. The spatial dimension, through the material culture, is therefore key to understanding past human groups. Studying how humans have interacted with geographic space is one of our group's priorities. The group's strengths include:

- The application of geospatial technologies in the field of archaeological research. These are revolutionizing the methodologies applied to the study of geographic spaces and heritage management.

- Paleoenvironmental analysis and reconstruction, linking it to the concept of ecological footprint and global change.

- The study of space and its history through the discipline of Cultural Landscapes, key to the analysis and management of spaces occupied by anthropic activity, which, moreover, are the majority of the planet.

    • Agrarian Archaeology

The study of agricultural communities has been one of the traditional elements of analysis in our Department. This approach is based on the study of different elements such as bioarchaeological materials (seeds, fruits and wood), agricultural tools, storage structures and structures for the transformation of different products of agricultural origin (mills, wine presses, oil mills, etc.).

Currently, our Department is leading projects with this objectives in the Valencian country and in different Mediterranean islands like Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Sardinia, as well as collaborations with other projects in North Africa and the South of France.

    • Integrated Archaeophysics

This line focuses on the use of advanced detection methods for the study of archaeological cultural heritage, especially that which is buried or poorly visible. This specialization combines surface geophysical survey methods, such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and magnetometry, with remote sensing methods, such as LiDAR, as well as detailed soil and sediment analysis. This integrative approach allows sites to be investigated in a comprehensive, digital and minimally invasive manner, thereby reducing disturbance to archaeological remains and facilitating the planning of archaeological tastings in at-risk situations requiring immediate intervention. Beyond its potential for archaeological heritage management, the systematic application of these integrated methods has emerged as a new avenue for advancing archaeological research. It allows not only to reveal, investigate and document the archaeological record at the site and landscape scale in a non-invasive manner, but also to preserve it for future generations and keep it accessible for future scientific advances.

    • Western African Archaeology

The archaeology of the kingdoms of West Africa from the 1st to the 2nd millennium AD and their relationship with Europe has been incorporated into the Department around two different axes: the organization of the landscape of these kingdoms (especially the Mali Empire and its successor states, the Kaabu Kingdom in particular) and the impact they had on European history.

    • Nautical and Underwater Archaeology

With the first underwater surveys and excavations in the Grau Vell de Sagunt, under the direction of Carmen Aranegui Gascó, the Department was a pioneer in the Valencian Country. At present there is a terminological difference to distinguish what are properly techniques to excavate underwater (underwater archaeology) from what is the field of research, which we refer to as Nautical or Maritime Archaeology. We limit us to the Mediterranean from Prehistory to Late Antiquity. Our objective is to construct historical discourses, studying shipwrecks, but also remains in port contexts. We are carrying out some projects, as the survey of the Mesolithic occupation of the Almenara Lagoon (Castelló), the excavation of the Phoenician-Punic Mazarrón 2 shipwreck (Murcia, 6th-5th centuries BC), the re-excavation of the shipwreck of El Sec (Mallorca, 4th century BC), the study of the remains of the Roman shipwreck of Sa Trona (Menorca, 1st century AD), the extraction of the shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles (Mallorca, 4th century AD) and the planning of new surveys in the Grau Vell de Sagunt.