2023-11-10 12:00:46
The last excavations in Saint Margaret of Empúries have allowed to complete the church floor of the episcopal ensemble. The aim of the new campaign, which is a continuation of the action taken last year, was to fully define what this late antique temple looked like. The performance has revealed that the church had “considerable” dimensions and that it was of the basilica type, with a floor plan formed by three ships separated longitudinally by columns. At the head of the central nave, which was twice as wide as the two sides, were the choir and the apse. The archaeological work has also allowed the baptistery to the south of the basilica to be completed, with a square plan and the baptismal pool right in the middle.
The loss of the episcopal seat, from the eighth century onwards, led to the transformation of the old basilica and of the baptistery, used as a burial area. On top of its remains, in medieval times two churches were built, one of them still with baptismal functions, behind which cemetery spaces were located, with a continuity of use until the 13th centuries. XIV. From that moment and until the 18th century, only the chapel of Santa Margarida, which gave its name to the archaeological site, remained standing and in use.
The typology of excavated graves is very diverse and shows the evolution of burial patterns over the centuries. Apart from the most privileged tombs – some with stone sarcophagi – there are also other simpler burials, with simple pits delimited by stone boxes or also with slate slabs. In addition, areas of the cemetery intended preferentially for children have been identified.
Parallel to anthropological studies, they have also started different analyses of the remains of skeletons to be able to know more precisely the nature and characteristics of the population.
The excavations were carried out during the month of October and were supported by the Town Council of l’Escala. The action is included in the program of the current four-year archaeological research project (2022-2025), focused on the study of the old port areas of Empúries. It is a project promoted by the Museum of Archeology of Catalonia within the framework of the Catalan Archeology and Paleontology Research Plan of the Department of Culture.
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