TheArchaeological Museum of Alicante The exhibition brings together the results of the excavations carried out in the Cova del Barranc del Migdia in Xàbia between 2009 and 2012. The exhibition, which reveals in detail the work and the research process being carried out at the funerary site, is composed of unpublished pieces that have never been exhibited before because they were in the studio..
The President of the Alicante Provincial Council Luisa Pastor and the mayor of the municipality José F.Chulvi presented this new exhibition which, under the title "Art i Mort al Montgó.The Migdia Ravine Cave in Xàbia", can be visited in our museum until next April. The event was also attended by the deputy for Culture Juan Bautista Rosellóthe technical director of MARQ Manuel Olcinathe curators of the exhibition George A.Soler,Joaquim Bolufer and Marco Aurelio Esquembreas well as members of the provincial corporation.
The exhibition, the result of the joint work between the Diputación de Alicante and the Museu Arqueològic i Etnogràfic Municipal "Soler Blasco, is composed of different informative panels which review the characteristics of the cave, the remains found, their historical context and the whole process of excavation and subsequent cataloguing. The collection also exhibits some of the artefacts found in the excavations and includes a space for 'augmented realityThe 'virtual access to the site, which would otherwise be almost impossible due to its difficult location, to 375 metres above sea level.
In this regard, Pastor pointed out that Today the MARQ is once again taking a step forward in its commitment to conserve, disseminate and enhance the historical and artistic heritage of the province. In addition to the exhibitions currently on display, "Santa Pola. Archaeology and Museum". and "Via AugustaToday, the exhibition "Art i Mort al Montgó. La Cova del Barranc del Migdia in Xàbia". which reflects, once again, the close collaboration between public administrations in order to bring culture closer and to carry out projects that benefit our citizens..
Through a complete tour, the exhibition brings visitors closer to the Montgó environmentThe landscape is unique, with an enormous and diverse biological and cultural richness, as well as the interior of the Cova del Barranc del Migdia cave.The cave, located in a grotto at an altitude of 375 metres, contains burials from the Chalcolithic period - 4,683 years old - and a collection of cave paintings in schematic style.
For his part, Chulvi stated that The recovery of the Barranc del Migdia cave and its enhancement is for Xàbia and the Marina Alta region one of the greatest archaeological research initiatives which has offered human and material remains of the first settlers of the Montgó area. We have always wanted to bring the site closer to the town and with this initiative we have not only achieved this, but we have also extended it to the rest of the province to show all the work that has been carried out..
The exhibition, consisting of half a hundred piecesis also completed by objects held in the museum of alicante from other caves in the areaas well as with the projection of an audiovisual which allows the public to learn first-hand about the findings, the methodology and the opinion of the experts involved in this cultural project.
La Cova del Barranc del Migdia Cave
The Cova del Barranc del Migdia is located 375 metres above sea level on the southern slope of the Montgó massif in Xàbia and to access to any of the three outlets available it is necessary to scale. This difficulty has allowed the conservation of the important archaeological ensemble that it contains inside, so that it can be considered one of the few funerary treasures from the 3rd millennium BC with ideal conditions for its registration. The Schematic Art motifs on the walls of one of the cave's rooms have been recognised in research circles for some twenty years, following their discovery in 1989.
Between 2009 and 2012 the Xàbia CIRNE Foundation has sponsored four excavation campaigns in the area, which have been co-directed by the archaeologists Joaquim Bolufer, Juan de Dios Boronat, Marco Aurelio Esquembre and Jorge A. Soler. During the excavations, work has been carried out on the prehistoric funerary complexes found at the site and the cave paintings have been documented.