2019 excavation at Roman Villa of Los Villaricos in southeastern Spain completed

The City Council of Mula, in collaboration with the University of Murcia and the CajaMurcia Foundation, have organised and subsidised a new archaeological excavation campaign in the Roman villa of Los Villaricos (Mula, Murcia).

Credit: Ayuntamiento de Mula

Between 8 and 21 July, a total of 20 students from different Spanish and foreign universities were directed and coordinated by Prof. Rafael González Fernández, from the University of Murcia, by archaeologist Francisco Fernández Matallana, and by José Antonio Zapata Parra, Municipal Archaeologist of the Town Hall of Mula.

This year's campaign was also used to train archaeology students, as two courses were organised by CEPOAT (Centre for Near Eastern and Late Antiquity Studies at the University of Murcia), one for Field Archaeology and the other for Physical Archaeology.

Credit: Jose Luis Pinero Gallego

As Prof. Rafael González explained, "the archaeological activities in this campaign have focused on two clearly differentiated areas. Firstly, work continues on the excavation of several burials of the late necropolis that occupied the residential area of the town after its abandonment in the 6th century AD; and secondly, in the northeast, we are continuing the archaeological field work, specifically in a rectangular building, in which four basins have also been found, whose purpose is still unknown to us.

Likewise, the University of Murcia, will continue in September excavating and carrying out research work thanks to a grant of 30,000 € granted by the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage of the CARM. Thanks to this grant, the first analyses of C-14 have been carried out on the skeletal remains of the late necropolis, which have given dates around 530-620 AD, as well as on an olive stone found in the oil mill with a chronology of 340 AD. Together with the C-14 dating, analyses of residues and palynology will be carried out, as well as tomography and georadar studies."

Credit: Ayuntamiento de Mula

The Mayor of Mula, Juan Jesús Moreno has stated "that the City Council remains firm in its commitment to the Cultural Heritage and Archaeology of the municipality of Mula and proof of this is its commitment to the excavations of Villaricos year after year."

He further added, "that along with the grant awarded to the University, the City Council has also allocated € 80,000 for intervention in archaeological sites to promote concurrent projects in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. The subsidy will be for the third phase of roofing of the villa and the consolidation of some wall structures. Another of the measures in which the council is preparing, explains the Mayor, is the drafting of a Master Plan of the site, which is needed for the various applications for funding."

Also, the Department of Tourism has organized, as in previous years, the activity called "Open Excavation" so that the population of Mula, its districts and visitors from outside the municipality can visit the Roman villa and see the archaeological excavations in situ.

Source: Ayuntamiento de Mula [trsl. TANN, July 19, 2019]