The Pollentia Consortium just released a great new aerial video showcasing the Roman city, Pollentia. %CODE1% The University of Portland Ca’n Fanals cemetery dig site is in the trees near the amphitheater. Can you spot it in the video?…Continue Reading Pollentia From Above
An exciting find the first day on the dig site was the base of a Roman amphora. An amphora is a terracotta vessel used to transport liquids, probably wine. The pointed base made it easier to stack. …Continue Reading Finding a Piece of an Amphora
Our UP team has started work in the fields of Ca’n Fanals, continuing the excavation of the necropolis begun Summer 2014. The initial grave trench has been dug out even deeper and the site is in progress of being extended out past this trench. With potential for finding a mosaic as well as even more graves,…Continue Reading The Beginning of This Year’s Excavation
Prior to Moorish settlement of old Pollèntia and continuing into the construction of medieval Alcúdia, the necropolis that served Pollèntia into Christian antiquity was covered and lost. At some point, the soil above the cemetery was deep enough to become attractive to farmers, who improved it, tended it, and tilled it. Perhaps as early as 500 years ago,…Continue Reading Ca’n Fanals: An Old Farm Sitting above an Older Necropolis
Braving assorted adventures with TSA and US and Spanish customs inspections and approvals, the UP Team took the University’s portable XRF spectrometer to Pollèntia to test the possibility of field analysis of artifacts. Dr. Ray Bard, Associate Professor of Chemistry, worked with Director Cau and Barcelona graduate student Leandro to test accuracy and precision of field…Continue Reading Chemical Archaeology
UPDATE Friday July 18 2014: This’s morning’s work has revealed more detail in the test excavation trench. The broad swath of rock once thought to be the foundation of an old wall is, in fact, limestone bedrock. The wall tentatively identified at the eastern end of the trench is clearly a wall–or the remains of…Continue Reading Test Excavation in Ca’n Fanals Reveals a Grave
At dinner on Wed July 16, Director Miguel Cao reminded the UP Pollèntia Team that we stood about a 10% chance of seeing the wall and grave from the 1920s excavation uncovered at the spot we predicted; in fact, the Barcelona group often makes several test trenches before success. Imagine our relief today (July 17) when…Continue Reading They Found the Wall! (…and a grave)
Here’s the archaeological reality: when you find pottery fragments, then you must wash pottery fragments! UP Pollèntia Team members take turns with scrub brush and water–a good opportunity, too, to discard the rocks we picked up in our enthusiasm during the prospection walk through of Ca’n Fanals. So far as of 10:30 AM on July 17,…Continue Reading Washing Prospection Findings