The Archaeology Club of the University of Navarra held its first session with the graduate in History and archaeologist María García-Barberena Unzu, who spoke about the "harsh physical and intellectual reality of urban archaeology" and focused on Roman Pamplona.

The club was founded in September 2014 by Javier Andreu. Senior Associate Professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at the University, and of some students of History and other Degrees of the area of Humanities.

The goal it is none other than to maintain the archaeological tradition of the University and to promote the intense archaeological life of Navarre. The idea is for students to have a contact with archaeology out of the classroom and to have the opportunity to dialogue with people related to the world of research archaeological studies in a family context.

It currently has about 40 students registered, who attended this gathering, the first of many that they will have throughout the year, in addition to excursions, seminars, visit to deposits...

During her speech, María García-Barberena spoke about Urban Archaeology and its problems. "The most important is that its principles are very beautiful, but utopian," said the archaeologist.

Other difficulties of urban archaeology highlighted by García-Barberena are that they are only based on emergency excavations or heritage control (those that are normally carried out from urban works), on partial visions of the material found and on scarce data. Documentation is done as strictly as possible, but it is an awkward task and you work under pressure. "In addition, after developing the report There are problems in publishing it," he concluded.

The archaeologist explained that, due to the crisis, there has been a halt in urban works and that this has made it easier to carry out several excavations in Pamplona, thus finding more vestiges of the ancient Roman city of Pompaelo.

The Roman City

According to García-Barberena, the history of the Roman city was practically unknown until 1992, when the excavations of María Ángeles Mezquíriz began, in which it was established that the ancient Pompaelo was located around the cathedral.

During the colloquium, María García-Barberena reviewed the different findings of the archaeological work carried out in Pamplona. From a series of pavements brought from Italy and dated to the first century B.C., it was concluded that "to reach the upper part of the city, that of the cathedral, a series of artificial terraces were made in order to highlight the monumental area". "On Curia Street, a rather impressive thermal building was found, of which only a wall remains," the archaeologist also said.

The largest thermal baths discovered were found under the place del Castillo between 2001 and 2003.  "These baths were abandoned after the crisis of the third century, which led to the reduction of the perimeter of the city," García-Barberena explained. "It is estimated that it was a thermal complex of about 2,000 square meters, which had a water tank, hypocaust to heat the water, pools with mosaics, drainage channels, gymnasium..."

"Remains of buildings, paved areas, water wells or other more mundane items such as coins, ceramics and household utensils have also been found from this period. As well as many remains of what was once an artisan neighborhood," he concluded.