The summer excavations at the Ciutadella de Roses discovered a children’s necropolis from the 4th and 5th centuries

2023-07-13 16:08:02

The summer excavations at the Citadel de Roses have discovered one children’s necropolis of the 4th and 5th centuries after Christ (AD). The work, carried out within the framework of the fifth International Course of Medieval and Modern Archeology, has made it possible to unearth more than one dozen of children’s graves. All but one of the burials were inside amphorae, a common method at the time. In parallel, the excavations have also made it possible to identify another modern-day cemetery to the north of the cloister of the Santa Maria monastery. It corresponds to the 17th-18th centuries and certifies that, even though by then the population was already there moved outside the fortress enclosurethe church and the cemetery were kept as places of worship.

The fifth international archeology course at the Citadel of Roses began on June 26 and will end tomorrow. During these weeks, fifteen university students from Catalonia, France and Italy have focused on excavating the area of ​​the cloister of the monastery of Santa Maria de Roses, to study its evolution.

Archaeological research in the cloister has made it possible to discover one infantile necropolis associated with an early Christian church (previous of the same monastery). More than a dozen children’s graves have been identified. All but one had been made in amphorae, a common method at the time. The container was opened at one end, the remains of the children were deposited inside and, after closing it again, the amphora was buried.

According to the archaeologists of the UdG, although the existence of the early Christian church associated with a cemetery was already known, it has now been discovered “that the surface area occupied by the religious space was much larger than was assumed” . And that, in addition, it was much more complex than what was initially believed (because the original complex was expanded, and included part of the cemetery discovered inside).

The excavations have also made it possible to identify a modern cemetery (from the 17th-18th centuries) to the north of the cloister. At the time, the monastery church was used as a parish church. “The remarkable thing, in this case, is that at times when the population had already moved out of the Citadel, the church continued to be used as a parish and as a civil cemetery,” the archaeologists explain.

International course

Organized by the Roses Chair of Archeology and Archaeological Heritage of the University of Girona (UdG) and the Roses City Council, the international course has the collaboration of the Girona Knowledge Region Foundation. Catalan, French and Italian university students have participated, as well as students from the Restoration School.

In addition to the practices of field archeology – that is, in situ – the course also incorporates others for the restoration and consolidation of archaeological structures and materials. For this reason, the excavation at the Citadel, the registration and the planimetry are combined with laboratory tasks (cleaning, classification, drawing) and other practical activities (such as topography or vertical archeology analysis).

Practical work is combined with conferences, which in the case of this 2023 focus on medieval monasteries. In addition, there are also trips to emblematic medieval sites and sites. The international course is directed by the archaeologist Marc Bouzas, who also coordinates the Chair, and the technical coordination is carried out by the archaeologist Lluís Palahí. The archaeologist Jordi Vivo collaborates and Cristina Garcia (ABAC) directs the restoration practices.