The Greeks Herodotus of Halicarnassus and Thucydides of Athens dispute the honor of being the first historians of the West, the initiators of the internship to study the past not only in a spirit of empty erudition but as a means to understand the present. The first, in fact, made the memory of the remarkable deeds of men the cornerstone of his historiographic activity and the second claimed that history should always be an activity not only for entertainment - as are other disciplines that also cultivate the spirit such as literature or art - but for eternity, forever. Both of them also made a documented local history that, over the years, has become a "useful" history for the so-called global history.

In these days, explaining Ancient History to my students of Diploma in Archaeology of the University of Navarra, I have verified the attraction of the study -even the contemplation- of the remote past of the territories that are closer to us and, therefore, also, that we feel as our own. The finding on Mount Irulegi of a sensational bronze registration with more than 2,000 years of antiquity and, apparently, with the oldest lexical testimony written in "language Basque" has allowed those of us who have the privilege of teaching History in this historic land of Navarre, to feel that attraction of the local history that, perhaps, challenges us in a more direct way and that, therefore, we feel as our own. We also feel it when we offer our students to participate in archaeological excavations such as the one in the Basque and Roman city of Santa Cruz de Eslava, where they feel that "materiality of History". In the classrooms of the University of Navarra we have students from practically the five continents, but also, and especially in the School of Philosophy and Letters, with a good issue of Navarrese students who learn Literature, History or Philosophy, Politics and Economics but who follow subjects of historical content, quicio of all humanistic training . Both, Navarrese and foreigners, enjoyed the explanations that, in the subject of "Classical World" I improvised in recent weeks in relation to what Irulegi's bronze piece allows us to conclude and, also, to what the media and certain cultural sectors of this land have tried to conclude by reviving, on many occasions, myths of the past that we thought we had overcome but that are always interesting.

Of course, history -not only recent history, sacralized in the latest educational reform plans to the detriment of more recent times- constantly repeats itself and shows us how historical arguments build society. This makes the work of the historian absolutely attractive and exciting, as he must not only scrutinize the past and, especially, the vestiges that have remained of it, but must also become, as Eric Hobsbawm wrote, the official reminder of that which society wants or wishes to forget and which, because of its importance, must be remembered. Avoiding easy presentism, History is, indeed, the light of the times, as the Roman philosopher and politician Cicero recalled twenty-two centuries ago.

If, as the Greeks used to say, History requires an in-depth understanding of the events of the past, there is no doubt that a day like today is not only a tribute to the History of Navarre, but also to the values that our land has considered for centuries to be part of its historical experience, reality and significance. Thus, every December 3rd we entrust ourselves to someone who truly made history and who, in addition, contributed to take the name of Navarre to totally unimaginable places in the changing world of the 16th century: Saint Francis Xavier, the most universal Navarrese who, let us not forget, was trained in humanist knowledge before dedicating himself to the preaching of the Christian faith. A patron already understood in the 17th century as the collective patrimony of all Navarrese, who demanded that he become co-patron saint of the kingdom together with San Fermín. Before a historical personality of the stature of our patron saint -humanist and heritage of all- and on a day like today, it is worth reflecting on the patrimonial wealth of our land, on the values on which Navarre has built its local history -at the service of Spain and the world- and on the multiple opportunities that, through an adequate cultural and patrimonial policy, are offered to us in every corner of Navarre for its contemplation, study and enjoyment.

Happy, and historic, Navarre Day to all Navarros!