La Fundación Palarq es una entidad privada y sin ánimo de lucro que se crea con la finalidad de apoyar las Misiones en Arqueología y Paleontología Humana Españolas en el extranjero, excluyendo Europa, dentro de una perspectiva que abarca desde la etapa paleontológica a las épocas prehistóricas y las históricas en interés monumental
Malaga and Seville
Our research focuses on the temporal spatial and social context of Late Neolithic and Copper Age monumentality. The baseline of our approach is to overcome the severe limitations of one hundred years of culture-historical research focused on the monument as a container of beautiful objects. Our project departs from three general deontological and epistemological premises: (i) minimum invasion and destruction of the archaeological record; hence, while the emphasis is placed on non-destructive methods of fieldwork and analysis, archaeological excavation is kept to a minimum and only used in a targeted and purpose-specific way; (ii) study of already existing collections, particularly from rescue excavations carried out as a result of public works and interventions; (iii) systematic and thorough publication of results and sharing of results with the scientific community, hence avoiding the problems of collection-hoarding we have suffered in the past. The epistemological framework of reference for this project is provided by the biographical and landscape approaches to prehistoric monumentality, as previously successfully applied to other major megaliths, thus leading to a considerable expansion of previous approaches. This project uses two case studies: the Menga dolmen and the Montelirio tholos. They are both part of larger, very complex archaeological sites: the Antequera megalithic landscape, and the Valencina Copper Age mega-site, respectively
Valley C2, Thebes, Egypt
The Theban necropolis is the largest archaeological site in the world. In 1881, a small valley in the centre of these mountains became the centre stage of world archaeology. Nearly half a hundred Pharaonic royal mummies of the all-powerful rulers of the 17th to 21st dynasties were found in the tomb known as TT 320. Gaston Maspero, director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service at the time, theorised that the mummies had been removed from their original tombs and placed together in TT 320 to be hidden and protected from looters. From then on the small valley became known as Royal Cache Wadi
The villa of Vilauba, Banyoles, Girona, Spain
Animal husbandry was an essential economic activity in antiquity, as Varro stated in his book “Res Rustica”. However, very little is known about how Romans bred, fed or herded the animals due to the difficulty of studying these topics through a common archaeological record, even though they are key elements for a livestock exploitation.
At last, we are now able to address these fundamental research questions, thanks to the discovery of a unique and extraordinary assemblage at the Roman villa of Vilauba (Girona), composed by 14 cattle carcasses.
With this project, we propose to make a trip to the past to look at the eyes of these cattle by reconstructing their living conditions and rebuilding their appearance
Seville Archaeological Museum, Spain
By now, we have studed more than 10 % of the coins in the treasure. This included cataloguing and graphic documentation of each coin, as well as physical analysis (archaeometry) of the alloys (silver content) We believe that the number of coins studied so far is statistically significantive for the analyis of the hughe historical and economic significance of the Tomares treasure based on the data collected. Only a multidisciplinary perspective can provide a comprehensive understanding of the treasure and its economic context
Bay of Algeciras, Cadiz. Spain
The Bay of Algeciras constitutes a privileged maritime space. A wide, deep and safe bay located in a strategic naval crossing point that allowed the development of an intense occupation with clear maritime links. Throughout the history of research, numerous studies have highlighted the importance of this space focusing mainly on three phases: the Ancient times, with 4 urban settlements on its coastal margins; the Medieval Period, becoming the border and point of entry to the Peninsula and the Mediterranean; and the Modern Period, scene of a continuous confrontation by the naval control of the Strait. The Bay of Algeciras stands out in all historical periods due to its maritime importance and its use as a privileged harbour area
Milà i Fontanals – CSIC (IMF-CSIC, Barcelona);
Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya (MAC, Barcelona);
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB);
Museo Arqueològic Regional de Banyoles (MACB).
Description: The relevance of the project lies in the exceptional conservation conditions of the La Draga site and its relevance to the study of the neolitization process.
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Institute of Languages and Cultures of the Mediterranean and the Middle East
Dr Abu el-Naga Hill, Luxor, Egypt.
Description: The main objective of the Djehuty Project is the excavation, restoration, scientific publication and dissemination of a group of funerary monuments and burials, on the hill of Dra Abu el-Naga, at the northern end of the necropolis of the ancient city of Thebes, today Luxor.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Faculty of Philosophy and Arts. Department of Prehistory.
Location: La Bastida (Totana, Murcia).
Description: The object of study of the project is the society or “culture” of El Argar. The culture of the Argar has a protagonist role in the knowledge of the recent Prehistory in Spain, and is considered one of the most relevant cultures of the Bronze Age in Europe.
University Institute for Research in Iberian Archaeology – Universidad de Jaén.
Location: Jaén and Italy.
Description: The project deals with a specific period: the Second Punic War, although understood as part of a historical process related to the social, political and cultural changes derived from the Roman conquest in the area of the Ancient Mediterranean.
Institute of History, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.
Location: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
Description: The transition from Olduvayan to Acheulean and its relationship to the evolution of Homo habilis to Homo erectus is one of the most debated topics in modern Paleoanthropology.
Participant in the II National Archaeology and Paleontology Award Palarq Foundation.
Participant in the II National Archaeology and Paleontology Award Palarq Foundation.
