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After nine excavation campaignsthe MARQ has completed the archaeological work at the Laderas del Castillo sitein Callosa de Segura. An investment of more than 140,000 euros has made it possible during this time to document numerous remains of what was once one of the most densely populated prehistoric villages in the province.
The team led by Juan A. López PadillaMARQ archaeologist, and Francisco Javier Jover MaestreProfessor of Prehistory at the University of Alicante, has completed the project, carried out over almost a decade, with the covering and protection of the structures exhumed in the enclave. A final step aimed at safeguarding the remains still preserved, which have made it possible to recover for the archaeology of Alicante one of the most important archaeological sites of the area known as the "Culture of El Argar.
The work, which began with field surveys carried out at June 2012The project has been supported from the outset by the Callosa de Segura Town Council and the director of the Antonio Ballester Ruiz" Municipal Archaeological Museum, Miguel Martínez Aparicio and has made it possible to investigate one of the most advanced Bronze Age societies in Western Europe.
At its peak, the village of Laderas del Castillo was able to surpass the number of inhabitants of the two hectares in size. The settlement was organised into large stepped terracesThe dating has shown that this large village began to be occupied around 2300 BC - shortly after the pyramids were erected in Egypt - and was not abandoned until almost 700 years later, a few centuries before the pyramids were erected. -It was not abandoned until almost 700 years later, a few centuries before the pyramids were erected in Egypt. Tutankhamun was buried in the Valley of the Kings.
In addition, up to nine graves and the analyses that are being carried out will also reveal the parental relationships that may have existed between them and their origins. Unlike in other places in Europe, the inhabitants of Laderas del Castillo buried their deceased inside their own homesThis custom, typical of the Argaric culture, is interpreted as a way for the living to remain close to their ancestors.
Particularly noteworthy was the discovery in 2013 of some of the terracotta figurines in the form of bovidswhich were the subject of a small temporary exhibition at the MARQ and later at the Archaeological Museum of Callosa de Segura. The collection represents one of the few material evidences related to the symbolic world and beliefs in El Argar society.which until now was considered a virtually iconoclastic culture.
The waste from their meals has also provided valuable information about their herds, mainly sheep, goats, oxen and cows. In short, a wealth of information that MARQ will soon make available to the scientific community and the general public.
