New ongoing archaeological campaign in the municipality of Meranges (La Cerdanya).
On Sunday, July 7, the mountain archaeology team of the GIAP research group (ICAC-CERCA) began a new archaeological campaign in the municipality of Meranges (La Cerdanya).
For two weeks, the team will excavate at the Coll de Molleres I archaeological site, at 2,500 meters, with spectacular views of the Cerdanya plain.
This site is strategically located in the Pyrenees, near the Roman city of Iulia Libica (Llívia). It is an archaeological complex with a long history of human occupation, with a significant high-imperial Roman phase. Its exceptional nature is highlighted by the abundant archaeological material discovered in this habitat area: tableware and kitchenware, glass, and metal pieces…
The new archaeological campaign at the Coll de Molleres I site has two main objectives: to exhaust the archaeological levels of the inner courtyard of the enclosure and to open up a new area that will provide us with a lot of information about the functionality of the structures and define the chronological framework of their uses.
The archaeological work is directed by Dr. Lídia Colominas (Ramón y Cajal researcher, GIAP), Arnau Carbonell (predoctoral researcher, GIAP), and Dr. Josep M. Palet (research professor at ICAC-CERCA).
The campaign is part of the research project on the historical evolution of Mediterranean landscapes and the four-year project on high mountain archaeology in the headwaters of the Segre–Ter (Cerdanya-Ripollès). It is part of a four-year excavation project that started in 2022 with the Meranges City Council, to expand the results of the previous four-year project (2018-2021) led by the same GIAP group in the territory. The site is on land owned by the Meranges City Council, which has shown its willingness to promote the remains.
ICAC-CERCA collaborates with this and other local entities to ensure the transfer of knowledge from its research and the enhancement of the cultural landscape heritage, especially through the European project Interreg Sudoe Cultur-Monts, which aims to be a resource for sustainable territorial development and tourism.
The Meranges City Council is an associate partner of this brilliant initiative, closely linked to the development of the territory and seeking to give a voice to the local actors operating there.
On Saturday, July 13, the researchers will conduct a guided tour of the site to expose its value and to inform about the planned actions within the framework of the Cultur-Monts project led by ICAC-CERCA (registrations at reserves@llivia.org).
Through the GIAP research group, ICAC-CERCA has carried out various initiatives to bring the results of its research closer to society and contribute to the enhancement of cultural landscapes, such as the ArqueoPirenaia project, which, among other results, inaugurated a set of heritage and educational resources in the Vall de Núria last September 2023, and this 2024 begins a second phase.
About the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA)
The Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC-CERCA) is a CERCA center established as a consortium in 2003 by the Government of Catalonia and the Rovira i Virgili University. It is a Catalan institution with an international scope, at the forefront of research and conservation of archaeological heritage. Its headquarters are in Tarragona, a city recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Its researchers work to understand the past through the study of archaeological remains and promote the preservation of the historical legacy. We are CERCA!
For more information, visit www.icac.cat.
