Excavations begin in Granada's Salar to recover Roman mosaics

A team of archaeologists and students from the University of Granada are working on a new archaeological campaign in the Roman villa of Salar with the aim of recovering and protecting the mosaics discovered in 2006.

Credit: Villa Romana Salar

The Salar Town Council has organised this emergency intervention to prevent the existing mosaics from being damaged as a result of the pressure exerted by the uneven geomorphology of the site.

According to municipal sources, this action, authorized by the Provincial Delegation of Culture, is being coordinated by the University of Granada.

Credit: Villa Romana Salar

The various projects that are being carried out aim to uncover the mosaic of the hunting scene that emerged in the last campaign and to continue the excavation of a room that has a peculiar geometric mosaic.

Under the direction of Julio Román, a team of archaeologists and students from the University of Granada will take part. The work team, made up of 20 permanent collaborators, will be joined by volunteers who will support the excavation work under the supervision of specialists, explains the Salar Town Council.

Credit: Villa Romana Salar

To this end, two 6 x 3 metre trenches will be dug, one in a north-westerly direction and the other in a south-easterly direction, which will allow new parts of this Roman villa to be brought to light.

In parallel to the excavation campaign, and in order to continue to raise awareness of the Roman villa, the Salar Town Hall has organised various informative activities to introduce young people and children to the world of archaeology.

Credit: Villa Romana Salar

The programme will be completed with an introductory workshop exploring mosaic techniques, as well as the guided tours in which the archaeological team will explain the work carried out during this season's campaign.

The Roman villa of Salar was discovered in 2006 during the construction of a sewage treatment plant.

The remains excavated so far reveal only a small part of this ancient Roman house, which makes experts think that it may be one of the most important archaeological sites found in Andalusia.

Source: EFE [August 08, 2018]