Ajuntament de la Secuita
Consell Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà
Ajuntament de Vimbodí i Poblet
Fundació Privada Mútua Catalana
We aim to explain the dynamics of socio-cultural change in the western part of ancient Cesetania on the basis of the forms of occupation and exploitation of the territory, the urban organisation, the social ideology expressed in the funerary record and the analysis of the artefacts. In the current state of research, the habitat sites excavated in the study area are still scarce, and the necropolises and cult sites they are almost completely unknown. From a chronological point of view, it is necessary to increase our knowledge of the formation process of the Iberian culture and its transformation towards Romanisation.
In order to achieve these objectives, the project involves the following studies:
- Excavation of the Mas Cap de Ferro site in Nulles (a silo field from the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age). It will provide in-depth knowledge of the settlement system, material culture, storage systems and economy in the area at the beginning of the Iron Age.
- Excavation of the Roman-Republican site of Costa de la Sierra (La Secuita), where excavations carried out since 2014 have uncovered a fortified building dating from the late 2nd – early 1st century BC; it is the only site of its kind preserved in Camp de Tarragona and is key to understanding the Romanisation process in the area.
- Surveys and excavation in the protohistoric necropolis of Milmanda (Vimbodí i Poblet), the only necropolis in which excavations have been carried out in this area, but where a programmed intervention using scientific methodology has never been conducted.
- Prospection on foot in the region of Conca de Barberà, an area of special interest as a frontier territory of Cesetania, whose characteristics in terms of settlement have yet to be defined.
- Study and review of archaeological materials from the following Iberian sites: Els Manous (El Catllar), Fontscaldes and Vilar at Valls.
Project financed by Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/22/00012).
