Roses will host the ninth Archaeology Lecture Series this spring, organised by the Archaeology Chair. The series aims to share the latest research and ideas in medieval and modern archaeology and historical heritage recovery with the public. This year's programme features four talks on diverse topics, including medieval music, underwater archaeology, local historical memory, and bioarchaeology.
The cycle begins on 15 April with a presentation titled “Horns, bones and guts: Popular music instruments in the medieval era” by Laura de Castellet from the University of Barcelona. This talk will look at how medieval rural communities used everyday materials such as bones, skins, horns, and viscera to create musical instruments. It will also show how experimental archaeology helps reconstruct and revive the sound world of that period.
Uncovering Shipwrecks and Local Heroes
On 29 April, Marcel Pujol i Hamelink from the Catalonia Higher School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage will present “The Roses II shipwreck and the defeat of a French convoy”. This conference will explain the research surrounding this sunken vessel, from its discovery by diver Paco Falcó to the reinterpretation of its origin as a French ship linked to the military events of 1809.
The series continues on 13 May with “Ferran Cufí, from citizen to archaeologist and vice versa”, presented by Josep Maria Barris and Pol Meseguer from the Roses Municipal Archive. This session will highlight the work of Ferran Cufí, a pioneer of local archaeology, and his important contribution to defending Roses' heritage during the 20th century. His efforts included campaigns carried out with Francesc Riuró in 1934 and from 1936 to 1938 at the Roses Walls enclosure.
Science and Ancient Diets
Finally, on 27 May, Neus Coromina and Marc Bouzas from the University of Girona will give a talk titled “Science in the service of history: Infant feeding in late antique Roses”. Based on the study of the late antique infant necropolis excavated next to the Santa Maria de Roses Monastery, and using bioarchaeological studies, information on infant feeding and weaning during the late antique period will be shared.
All conferences will start at 7pm on the specified dates at Ca l’Anita. Through this series, the Chair shows its commitment to spreading archaeological knowledge and highlighting historical heritage, encouraging discussion between academic research and society.
