Bastida-UAB Project team receives the Laurel Prize in the science and research category

29/10/2018

On 13 November, an awards ceremony will be held in Murcia for the "Laurel" Prizes, which the Association of Journalists of the Region of Murcia has been awarding for more than 50 years now. The Bastida-UAB Project will receive the science and research category prize for its extensive research and conservation tasks of the area's archaeological heritage and the dissemination of knowledge.

Already a decade has passed since the Bastida-UAB Project began conducting research in Murcia on the formation and development of the El Argar civilisation, one of Western Europe's most important Early Bronze Age cultures dating back 4,200 years. The award will be conferred in recognition to the excellence and relevance of the research, as well as the continuous effort to communicate all discoveries and results to all types of audiences under the coordination of Department of Prehistory lecturers Vicenç Llull, Rafael Micó, Cristina Rihuete and Robert Risch.

The main digging and research tasks take place at the sites of La Bastida (Totana) and La Almoloya (Pliego), two of the most important sites of the El Argar society. At La Bastida, scientists identified the capitol of one of the first states to exist on mainland Europe. Some of the most outstanding remains of a unique and monumental fortification system have been discovered, which illustrate the origin of militarised violence in the western Mediterranean. The dig campaigns at La Almoloya have shed light on the "First European Parliament". From this exceptional geographic location, the government made decisions which affected thousands of people living in the south-eastern region of the Iberian Peninsula. Under its Main Hall, archaeologists also found one of the most luxuries tomb existing in the Bronze Age, with the remains of two members of an important dynasty.

More information: La Bastida