Archeology

The Creu d’en Cobertella megalithic dolmen, in Roses, is the largest in Catalonia. Located at the Casa Cremada site and documented since the thirteenth century, this megalith is an exceptional Neolithic tomb.

With an age of between 3,000 and 3,500 years, the dolmen is formed from large slabs of granite gneiss, a material abundant in the area, and belongs to the passage grave type. As such, there would have been a narrow passage of large stones and a burial chamber covered in earth or stone. Of the Creu dolmen, the chamber and antechamber are preserved, while nothing remains of the corridor which would have led up to them.

All these structures were covered with an artificial mound, circular in shape, earthed over and would have probably been surrounded by a series of stone blocks which have since disappeared. Within the chambers of the dolmen, successive, multiple burials were carried out, a burial method common in Neolithic times.

The dolmen of the Creu d’en Cobertella was restored in 1957 and the archaeological excavations brought to light the remains of pottery, Roman coins and bones. It is located in an area rich in megalithic tombs.

You can discover the history of Tortosa in one of the most significant buildings of the city. This is the old abattoir, a modernista work by the architect Pau Monguió, built on land reclaimed from the River Ebro. In 2012, on the centenary of the Museum of Tortosa it was moved and advantage was taken of the pavilions to display a completely renovated Museum project.

The museum has a collection of more than 4,000 pieces among which include prehistoric flint tools, Roman funerary stones, Andalusian pottery, Gothic capitals, signs of flooding, the tools of one of the last potters of Tortosa, and paintings and sculpture by artists from Tortosa, among others.

The tour of the permanent exhibition provides information on the history of Tortosa and its surrounding regions, from the prehistoric times to the present day. Remains from Ilercavonia, Dertosa or Turtuxa are displayed. You can see the most representative pieces from each historical period from the museum’s own collection and from other museums that have made loans to the collection, such as the Prado Museum, the MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia), the National Archaeolgical Museum of Tarragona and the Museu de les Terres de l’Ebre. The contemporary work of the artist Leonardo Escoda interacts obliquely with the space and the content of the museum.

Since 2004, the Masia de Can Serra in Sant Adrià de Besòs has housed the History of Immigration in Catalonia Museum (Museu d'història de la immigració de Catalunya - MhiC) which acts as a centre for research and dissemination of the memory of migration in Catalonia. In doing so, the Museum offers a permanent exhibition divided into three areas using modern, interactive and educational museum resources.

The Humans in Movement area shows the historical trends in human movement from prehistoric times until the 20th century. The visit continues inside an old railway carriage from the mid-20th century: the Sevillano. This space pays tribute to the generation of internal migrations to Catalonia in the 20th century. It also includes testimonies and memories of those who were passengers. The last area presents migrations of the 21st century, which take place in a globalised world in continuous transformation.

The MhiC also has a documentation and resource centre. Forming part of the collection are the oral memory questionnaires that those who have taken part in the migratory processes can fill out.

A la cruïlla entre el Baix Aragó i la desembocadura del riu Ebre, trobem un jaciment arqueològic ibèric molt inusual. Aquí, al punt més alt del recinte, s’ha conservat una gran torre , testimoni del seu període més gran (l’assentament ja existia cap al 600 aC, tot i que fou al segle V aC que es va fortificar). Però això no és tot. El coll del Moro és un dels pocs pobles ibèrics de Catalunya en què s’ha descobert una necròpolis visitable.

Situat en un punt estratègic d’Ilercavònia, l’assentament controlava el flux del comerç comercial entre la costa i l’interior. De manera significativa, s'ha localitzat un taller dissenyat per al processament del lliçó i la fabricació de tèxtils .

La necròpolis, amb tres zones sepulcrals , dades aproximadament entre els anys 800 i 450 aC sembla que conviurà amb la ciutat a la seva primera fase. El lloc estarà ocupat fins al segle I dC.

This Iberian village at the mouth of the river Ebro, located on a hill in the Serra del Montsià, had some very distinguished inhabitants: the elite of the Ilercavones tribe who, from here, controlled the surplus from other settlements in the area and the trade in luxury products with other villages of the Mediterranean.

Moleta del Remei is considered to have been a large village from the first iron age and then became a long-lasting and important Iberian settlement. In fact, it is the only continuously occupied village in the south of Ilercavonia (from the 7th century BC to the 2nd century BC).

The archaeological site has a fortified enclosure with monumental defensive systems, and walls with towers and bastions that had no military purpose. Rather, these were elements of prestige that indicated the status of the inhabitants of the village. Inside, ring roads have been identified and almost all the houses have been built against the wall. Three buildings have been found which might have had a worship function, where child burials have been found.

From the 5th century BC, what had been a small Iberian settlement at the top of a hill in front of the pools of the beach of Calafell, became one of the most notable villages of the Cessetani tribe. At this time, a strong wall was built and a large urban area mapped out. Part of the uniqueness of this site, however, is in the Museum. A large part of the Citadel of Calafell has been rebuilt using experimental archaeological criteria. The result is a scientific and educational experience which shows how the Iberians really lived.

Of the 3 hectares that the town occupied, almost all the whole area inside the wall has been excavated. It has been identified that some of the houses belonged to a warrior elite and that the home of the chief was at the highest point. Enclosures for domestic worship, a water well, ovens to bake bread, and towers that were used for storage have also been located.

The archaeological data extracted from the excavations allowed the village to be rebuilt in 1992, following museum models of the Nordic countries. It was decided that the site should represent the last phase of occupation, in the 3rd century BC, just before the Romanisation of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, you can walk down the streets and go into the houses, which are even furnished with replicas of the objects found at the site. This work on the museum has meant that, since 2007, the Citadel of Calafell has been a member of the EXARC (European Exchange on Archaeological Research and Communication) network.

El 1912 a Tivissa, un punt estratègic del riu Ebre, on té vistes a la Cubeta de Móra (conca de moreres), es van trobar per casualitat un conjunt de polseres, arracades, anells, mànecs de miralls i 29 monedes d’època ibèrica. Més tard, va aparèixer una figura de bronze d’un parell de toros. Però va ser el 1927 quan va produir la seva troballa més important: això és el que es coneix com el Tresor de Tivissa , el millor exemple de fusteria ibèrica conservada a Catalunya.

A partir d’aquest punt, es va començar a excavar l’assentament ibèric de Castellet de Banyoles de Tivissa, que ha estat considerat un dels més importants de Catalunya. Ocupava una superfície de 4,4 hectàrees i la seva ubicació li permetia controlar les rutes comercials dels grecs i els fenicis al llarg de l’Ebre. No està clar quan es va fundar, però es creu que pot haver existit ja abans del segle VI aC. Va ser abandonada a finals del segle III aC, amb l'arribada dels romans. Més tard es va construir aquí un petit castell medieval.

Actualment, es poden observar les restes de dues torres pentagonals , l'únic exemple d'aquest tipus d'estructures al món ibèric. La seva posició suggereix que, en aquest cas, més que no tenir una funció defensiva, eren elements de prestigi. També s’han excavat una sèrie de cases que s’irradien cap a l’exterior, que haurien format grups de cases o barris.

Tot fa pensar que, dins de l’assentament, hi havia un santuari o lloc de culte . El Tresor de Tivissa, que actualment es pot veure al Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya , consta de 17 peces d’argent dels segles IV al III aC, que són en gran part vaixella de luxe dissenyada probablement per a ser utilitzada en celebracions rituals.

On a small peninsula in the present-day municipality of Palamos, on a hill, in the 6th century BC, the Iberians built a small village that was to become the most important fortified settlement on the Indigetes tribes after Ullastret. Located in an area that offered excellent conditions for control and defence, it developed its economy through trade with the Greek city of Empúries.

It reached its peak between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. At this point, the settlement was fortified on the side with easiest access to the peninsula, the isthmus. The first urban development took place on the highest part of the settlement. To increase the available land on the slopes of the hill, terraces were constructed with reinforced retaining walls on which the streets and houses were built. Today, these can still be seen on the eastern side. It seems that at the top of the fortified summit, or acropolis, there was a Hellenistic temple of which the remains of the entrance portico and the foundations of the columns have been found.

With the Romanisation of the area, the settlement of Castell did not disappear. Its strategic location led to it experiencing new heights in the 2nd century BC. The settlement was extended to the north, beyond the walls, occupying what, until then, had been an area of silos. In addition to new houses, a porticoed square, surrounded by commercial premises, was created.

The archaeological site of Castell is of great significance, both for the architectural techniques employed and for the state of preservation of the remains. And this is because a large proportion of the structures remain, even some walls more than 1.5 metres high. Almost the entire wall can be seen, as well as rooms, streets, water cisterns and silos for storing grain.

Given its privileged position, located on a hill in the mountains of the Serra Grossa and on the left bank of the Sénia river, Ulldecona is the perfect example of a frontier castle. During the Arab occupation, between the 8th and 11th centuries, it was an Andalusian fortification. With the conquest of the lands south of the Ebro by the Christians, it passed to the Montcada family of Tortosa in 1148, who gave it over to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, and it was transformed into a Christian Castle. A village grew up around it, thus being protected from Muslim attacks.

Currently, the fortified complex consists of three buildings - two towers and the old church - and remains of other demolished buildings, all surrounded by a perimeter wall. One of the most emblematic structures is the circular tower from the 12th century, which served as a watchtower. The upper terrace of this latter building, of which the battlements and embrasure have been preserved, offers unparallel views over the surrounding area. It is complemented by the square Keep Tower from the 13th century, which housed the stately rooms. 

The Church is the most modern building within the enclosure, dating back to the 16th century. It may have replaced a primitive chapel located in the main tower of the Castle.

Although most visible structures relate to the Christian military fortification, the remains of the first Arabic Castle, such as the remnants of the wall topped by two watch towers, are still preserved today. Also within the enclosure, there are the walls of medieval dwellings and even the remains of an ancient Iberian settlement.

El poblat ibèric dels Ilergets , al municipi de Tornabous, al comtat d'Urgell, ofereix una de les principals demostracions del seu potencial polític, econòmic i comercial abans de l'arribada dels romans.
 
Tot i que els orígens de l’assentament són de finals de la primera edat del ferro, les restes arqueològiques del Molí d’Espígol demostren el nivell avançat de desenvolupament urbanístic que aquesta comunitat havia assolit en el moment del seu punt àlgid, entre els segles IV i III. BC
 
Va ser en aquest moment quan Molí d’Espígol va passar de ser un assentament a una ciutatamb una economia basada en l’agricultura i la ramaderia. La complexitat de les cases i les innovacions, com la canalització sota el paviment, demostren el progrés de l’assentament. I, sobretot, el traçat urbà, que ha perdurat fins als nostres dies.
 
Les excavacions, iniciades el 1970 pel Museu Diocesà de Solsona (Museu Diocesà de Solsona) i gestionades pel Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya des del 2000, han deixat entreveure dues àrees arqueològiques ben definides : la zona urbana , amb restes visibles i visitables; i una zona suburbana al nord, fora de les muralles de l’ oppidum , com a resultat del creixement de la ciutat. També s’ha identificat la font que va subministrar aigua a la comunitat: anantiga piscina , avui dia assecada, situada fora de la vila emmurallada.
 
Al voltant del 200 aC es va encaminar la gent d’Ilergetes ibèrics i el lloc va ser abandonat. Es va produir una reocupació posterior fins al seu total abandonament a mitjan segle I aC.