The Archaeological Museum of the Diputación de Alicante (Alicante Provincial Council) (MARQ) was visited by the historian and archaeologist Marcos Martinón-TorresProfessor of Archaeology at the Cambridge Universitywho joined the team earlier this year as a commissioner and advisor. which is finalising preparations for the exhibition The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an. Eternal guardians of the first emperor'.. Martinón-Torres held several meetings and working sessions with the museum technicians responsible for the project and toured the temporary galleries and facilities.
The Vice-President and Member of Parliament for Culture, Julia ParraThe exhibition faces the final phase of a long working process, and now all that remains is to send the final exhibition proposal for the supervision of the Chinese authorities, with the official signing of the agreements. We hope that this will happen in September.".
Julia Parra also stressed "the privilege of having someone of the prestige of Martinón-Torres, who not only brings to our project all the scientific rigour, but also the opportunity to show all citizens the latest results of his research, something unheard of until now after more than 14 years of continuous work at the site of the mausoleum of the first Qin emperor, directed by the archaeologist himself".
For his part, Martinón-Torres said that "it is an honour to be part of MARQ" and confirmed "the excellent work carried out by a team and a museum of this calibre, with an exceptional track record, also in this project, which has been able to overcome all difficulties, including the period of international confinement caused by Covid-19, in which we have not stopped working online".
According to the first details revealed by this expert, "we are going to present an innovative exhibition that will include archaeology and history, with one of the most extraordinary discoveries of all time, but also science, to bring it closer to all audiences. It will explain the research process and the latest discoveries in Xi'an, how they came about and how they have helped us to know more about the Qin emperor and his world.
Julia Parra has confirmed that both the terracotta warriors as the more than 200 pieces that will make up the exhibition "constitute the maximum number of these World Heritage cultural relics that the Chinese government authorises in its temporary departures from the country". Since 2018 these pieces have not visited any European museum and their stay at MARQ will be the only one in Europe in the 2020-21 exhibition programme.
During the meetings held with Martinón-Torres, the work of the project in its final phase was coordinated with the MARQ teams through the managing director of the MARQ Foundation, José Alberto Cortésby the directors of the museum, Manuel Olcinaand Exhibitions, Jorge Solerand those responsible for the exhibition design, the director of the Architecture Department of the provincial institution, Rafael Pérez, y Angel Rocamoraby Rocamora Diseño y Arquitectura.
Professional career
Marcos Martinón-Torres currently holds the Pitt-Rivers Chair of Archaeological Science at Cambridge Universityafter more than a decade as a professor at the University College London. He is president of the International Society for Archaeological Sciences and editor-in-chief of the prestigious magazine Journal of Archaeological Science. Collaborates with British and Chinese researchers on a project using scientific advances to reveal the "secrets" of Xi'an's terracotta warriors in the First Emperor's mausoleum.
With a degree in History, Archaeology and Science, Martinón-Torres is recognised worldwide as a reference point for the in the application of scientific techniques in archaeological investigations. He leads and is part of numerous international research teams in Asia, Europe, America and Africa, as well as advising museums and collaborating with various media around the world. In October 2019, his work published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports on the conservation of the bronze weapons of the Emperor's guardian army was distinguished with the national award "Pineapple Sciencie Award in Chemistry 2019". in China.
