UAL reinforces history and archaeology of Almeria describing the occupation of the landscape in ancient and medieval worlds

Organized by the ‘Abdera’ Research Group on September 1 and 2, as the first event of the incoming academic year at the University of Almeria, it provides a complete social, patrimonial and natural overview of the southern peninsular in both historical periods, but also broadens the framework of analysis by adding the Mediterranean context.

It has not taken long for the UAL campus to have its first big event after the summer break, as the doors have opened and directly welcomed more than 25 researchers taking part in a new successful international congress. In fact, the program developed has had to make maximum use of the time available, given the large number of papers presented and their outstanding level. The organizing committee, formed entirely by members of the ‘Abdera’ Research Group, has even had to address the need to give it a virtual format, despite the face-to-face format of this ‘I International Congress Land and Sea: organization and occupation of the landscape of the southeastern peninsular during the ancient – medieval world and its Mediterranean context’.

This is what Patricia Argüelles has reported on behalf of her colleagues: “They have been very intense sessions, the event was interesting, because we have had both land and sea, and a merger of the ancient and medieval world that has greatly enriched each day of the congress, and we have had two participants from Croatia and Greece, researchers who have been given the opportunity to participate because of the relevance of their work, even though the conference has been held in a face-to-face format”. Argüelles has been accompanied in the organization by María Juana López and Enrique Aragón, from the Ancient History Area, and Manuela García and Francisco José Díaz, from the Medieval History Area, within the ‘Abdera’ group. In addition, it has had the collaboration of the Vice Rectorate for Research and Innovation, the OTRI, Aula Marina, the Faculty of Humanities and the International Campus of Excellence of the Sea and Heritage.

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The balance is very positive, as Argüelles has pointed out: ” All this unites us as historians and archaeologists of these two worlds, the ancient and the medieval, and we have managed to fulfill the original idea, which was to strengthen the study of history and archeology in Almería, with an openness to the southeastern peninsular and then to the Mediterranean context, the link between Almería and it, to incorporate the participation of speakers from other national and international universities”. It has been difficult to accommodate the interest of this first edition, which makes it clear, in advance, that it has been born with a vocation of continuity: “We have received many papers and the schedule has been made ‘to shoehorn’, although more research has been left out, and we can not forget that we continue to evolve in the projects that we start now, so yes, there will be a second edition”.

Bruno Franco, historian of the Consorcio Ciudad Monumental de Mérida, “the organization that manages the monumental archaeological heritage” of the capital of Extremadura, opened the second day. His speech entitled ‘Evolution of the landscape in the middle basin of the Guadiana from Roman times to the medieval period’, “a different view to the general congress that has gone from sea and land, and this has addressed land and fluvial environment”. He has told through it “the evolution of local heritage from the first millennium of the Roman period to the Andalusian period, with the idea of presenting a fairly well defined territory and that has a survival during those thousand years at the socioeconomic, cultural …”.

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Franco has shown his satisfaction for the fact that the congress has dealt with “different points of view”, cataloguing it as “very enriching”. He reminded that “not only Merida, but also all this western area of the peninsula, had a fundamental importance” that comes from before, passing through “the bronze and iron times”, although “it was from the foundation of Augusta Emerita, in the first century, when the western part of the Roman Empire was developed and that was maintained during all the later stage, until the fall in disgrace of the city”. A good number of researchers from the University of Almeria have participated, showing the potential of this institution, as well as those of Jaen, Cadiz, Alicante and Valencia, in addition to Aix-Marseille and PSL Paris, France, Évora, Portugal, the Danish Institute of Athens, Greece, and Flinders University, Australia.

Source: UAL News