Archaeological Excavations at Llívia’s Roman Forum Uncover New Marble Sculpture Fragments, Revealing Insights into Imperial Era

First stage of 2023 archaeological campaign at Llivia took place on April, May, and June. Photo: Llívia Town Council.

Last week marked the completion of the first phase of the annual excavation campaign at the Roman Forum of Llívia.

The archaeological works at the Roman Forum of Iulia Libica have uncovered new fragments of marble sculptures that will “complete the sculptural ensemble of the forum and confirm the era of the collection currently housed in the Museum of Llívia”, explained Josep Guitart, the program director and associate researcher at the ICAC.

The sculpture remains allow archaeologists to determine that the site dates back to the Julio-Claudian dynasty

Guitart argued that “these pieces complement those found in previous campaigns and enable us to deduce how the forum was populated with images. Therefore, we continue to emphasize that these are sculptures from the imperial family of the Roman Emperor Augustus, dating back to the Julio-Claudian era”. This information places the Llívia forum between 27 BC and 68 AC when the five dynasties ruled.

Guitart made these remarks upon concluding the first phase of the annual excavation campaign at the Roman Forum of Llívia. The first phase started on April 18, and the work at the site will continue throughout August, September, and October 2023.

Some of the marble pieces found at the archaeological site during the first phase of the 2023 excavation works. Photo: Llívia Town Council / J.P.V.

The program director highlighted that the upcoming work in the following months will focus on the central part of the site, now that the area has been cleared of utilities such as water, gas, and electricity, which had hindered excavation efforts. The phase involving student participation will take place from August 28 to September 8 this year.

The archaeological works at the Roman Forum of Iulia Libica are led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC), as part of the research project Iulia Libica (Llívia, Cerdanya): el fòrum i el territori del municipium (CLT009/22/00037). The project is funded by the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya and in collaboration with the Girona Provincial Council and the Generalitat’s Directorate General of Cultural Heritage-Archaeological Service.

The excavation has been conducted by archaeologists Cèsar Carreras, Òscar Trullàs, and Jordi Guàrdia. There is been also the participation of the archaeological company Arqueòlegs.cat.