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Panel 4. Puig Ciutat: Life and siege

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Archaeological excavations have revealed various compartments in one part of the north-east wall of the site.

Thanks to the quality and the state of preservation of the archaeological material identified in this area, we can date the last occupation phase at Puig Ciutat to the middle of the 1st century BC.

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What did they eat?

Among the archaeological remains, fragments were found of various ceramic recipients used for storage and transport of food products such as wheat, wine or oil.

One room has a concentration of bones from large herbivores. It could well have been a place for storing meat or a stable.

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What was life like there?

According to the research, the different rooms belonged to a complex building whose purpose is unknown to us. Some of the rooms could have combined different functions, as they were found to contain both material to do with the production of everyday elements and material relating to the storage, consumption and processing of food.

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What happened to Puig Ciutat?

A large number of projectiles from an armed confrontation have been recovered. Burnt areas have also been located. This suggests that there was possibly violent destruction and the site was sacked. The distribution of these military elements in the various rooms in the area of the city wall speaks for an attack begun at this end of the settlement.

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Panel 5. Puig Ciutat: A scientific and educational laboratory

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Why is Puig Ciutat important?

The process of Romanisation in the Lluçanès region is still not fully understood. Nevertheless, the study of this archaeological site could spur new research into this historical period in Central Catalonia.

Since 2010, a team of researchers have performed various interventions on the Puig Ciutat site and its vicinity. These interventions were based on a multidisciplinary methodology which includes phases of surveying, excavation, treatment and publicising of the results.

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Surveying:

What does it consist of?

Reconnaissance and exploration of the archaeological area using satellite imagery, aerial photographs, topographical models, the search for surface remains (ceramics, metals, etc.) and geophysical methods.

What does it allow?

Detection, documentation and description of possible archaeological sites.

Planning of the excavation.

Excavation:

What does it consist of?

Excavating a particular terrain to locate clues and evidence of ancient societies.

What does it allow?

Recording and documentation of the remains discovered during fieldwork and the stratigraphic information obtained.

Interpretation:

What does it consist of?

Classifying, restoring, digitising and interpreting the archaeological material (ceramics, metals, fauna, etc.).

What does it allow?

Initiation of studies and formulation of hypotheses among specialists in Archaeological Science.

Dissemination:

What does it consist of?

Informing society about the research undertaken on the basis of the site, through reports, guided visits, congresses and media.

What does it allow?

Socialisation of scientific and cultural knowledge for all publics.

Panel 6. Puig Ciutat: Geophysical prospecting

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What is geophysics and why is it applied in Puig Ciutat?

Geophysics is the science that applies non-invasive systems for exploring the subsoil. It was applied right from the start of the project as a tool that could help manage the excavations. Puig Ciutat is also an experimental site that enables us to test equipment and develop working methods. In addition to the surveys carried out in the early years, which are presented here, a systematic survey of each new area to be excavated is carried out at the beginning of each dig.

We are able to systematically apply geophysical techniques at Puig Ciutat thanks to the participation of the company SOT Prospecció Arqueològica.

Magnetic prospecting

What does it consist of? This measures local variations in the Earth’s magnetic field.

What does it enable us to do? It is useful for identifying kilns, hearths, burned areas, metals, filled trenches, as well as for delimiting sites.

Magnetic gradient map: burnt areas and possible metals are indicated in red, possible streets or ditches in white (data from SOT Propsecció Arqueológica)
Magnetic gradient map: burnt areas and possible metals are indicated in red, possible streets or ditches in white (data from SOT Propsecció Arqueológica)

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) prospecting

What does it consist of? This measures variations in humidity by emitting an electromagnetic pulse, the echoes of which are subsequently received at the surface

What does it enable us to do? It is useful for detecting built structures, and allows us to visualise what structures are like at depth.

GPR reflectivity map: the built elements and bedrock are represented in black (data: SOT Propsecció Arqueológica)
GPR reflectivity map: the built elements and bedrock are represented in black (data: SOT Propsecció Arqueológica)

Electromagnetic prospecting

What does it consist of? This measures variations in conductivity and magnetic susceptibility by analysing the way the subsoil responds to an electromagnetic field applied from the surface.

What does it enable us to do? It is useful for characterising substrate composition and indirectly defining parameters like salinity, permeability, and porosity.

Electrical conductivity map: the black areas were interpreted as either the limey marl bedrock or construction material from the site; the white areas are clayey marls of the upper levels (data: Ghent University, Belgium)
Electrical conductivity map: the black areas were interpreted as either the limey marl bedrock or construction material from the site; the white areas are clayey marls of the upper levels (data: Ghent University, Belgium)

Interpretation of results

What does it consist of? This gives archaeological meaning to variations in the physical properties of the subsoil.

What does it enable us to do? This allows us to extract the archaeologically most significant elements from the geophysical images

Interpretation of the results: synthesis of the results and classification according to archaeological significance
Interpretation of the results: synthesis of the results and classification according to archaeological significance

Aerial and relief images: www.icgc.cat

Panel 7. Puig Ciutat: an unusual building

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Archaeology, like any science, has its own methodology which is adapted according to the objectives and circumstances of each case being studied. In this respect, the work undertaken on the structures of the present building serve as an example to explain the scientific method applied in Puig Ciutat.

The present state of the excavations does not yet allow an answer to many of the questions hinging on the site. Nevertheless, geophysical surveying has made it possible to focus the excavation in those areas where the presence of built structures has been recorded. Thanks to this strategy, in a short time we have been able to obtain the largest possible quantity of data for drawing up the first interpretative hypotheses.

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Surveying:

What do we know?

Geophysical surveying has identified the presence of a building in the middle of the agricultural area. Some of the techniques used, such as ground-penetrating radar, have made it possible to define the geometry of the structure and establish its depth about 0.5 metres (20 inches) beneath the surface.

Excavation:

What do we see?

A building measuring 11 x 11 metres with an entrance in the form of a passageway which very probably opened onto a distribution space inside. Two rooms have also been made out abutting the main façade and, finally, a space subdivided into four compartments at the back. The two innermost rooms are of a smaller size.

In the course of the excavation, a large amount of carbon and shattered ceramics have been documented that suggest the building may have been destroyed.

Interpretation:

What do we deduce?

The building is an unusual construction that stands out in the settlement. Its size suggests it could be the residence of the commander or person in charge of the establishment praetorium) or a building with an important administrative function in the same context (principium).

Although at present the data do not offer any more information about its purpose or its destruction, we hope to obtain more results in future work.

Building 1

General @en, zona d'excavació, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aquest sondeig es va realitzar amb l’objectiu de confirmar la presència i les característiques d’un edifici de grans dimensions, que havia estat prèviament detectat per les prospeccions geofísiques.

The archaeological excavation revealed a square building, 11 by 11 metres, divided up into various rooms opening onto a central distribution space. This was reached by a passage that communicated with the building’s only entrance, open in the southern façade. The date provided by the ceramic material recovered confirmed that the building belonged to the latest phase of occupation of the settlement, in the Late Roman Republican Period.

The work revealed that the structure had been heavily affected by farming work in the field in recent times and some of the walls that divided up the complex have not survived. Despite the poor condition of the remains, carbon was found which could have been part of the door latch.

Two surveys performed in the interior of the building showed that it had been looted in ancient times, probably to recover some of the stones from the north and west walls.

Its large size make this building an important one in the settlement’s complex of buildings. According to documentary sources, a building of these characteristics could have been the praetorium, or residence of the Roman camp’s Commander, or the principia, or administrative building. In the case of Puig Ciutat, this building could have fulfilled both functions.

City Wall Buildings

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Magnetic surveying showed evidence of an urban layout in the north-east of the site and important signs of combustion, which could have been from fireplaces or they could have been traces of a possible fire.

The excavations confirmed the presence of archaeological materials and structures from the settlement’s three occupation phases, going from the Late Bronze/Early Iron Age (mid-9th – 7th centuries BC) to the Late Roman Republican Period (mid-1st century BC).

Five dwelling spaces and a street from the last phase were found built onto the north-eastern section of the wall. These constructs could be part of one large building combining the functions of dwelling and storage.

The state of destruction of the different rooms, with abundant crushed ceramic material above the living level, and the presence of abundant military projectiles above the ruins (indicating they were fired from outside) speak for a military confrontation which may have begun at this end of the settlement.

Geophysics

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Geophysical methods have made it possible to explore the site in detail and more exactly define the geometry of the structures and their geological surroundings. In this context, geophysical surveying has centred on two fields in the western section and, especially, on the field in the eastern sector, as they allow extensive work that is impossible in the wooded areas.

The main techniques used are magnetic surveying, which provides information on areas with alterations in the electromagnetic field like the ones produced by combustion, ground-penetrating radar, which provides a more precise description of built structures, and electrical surveying, which documents variations in the potentials of sediments.

The results and interpretations obtained with the different techniques are used in the planning and management of subsequent excavations.

Image: © Orthophotograph property of the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, accessible on www.icgc.cat.

Geographic Information Systems

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In view of the multidisciplinary nature of the Puig Ciutat archaeological project, it was necessary to develop a common platform from which to visualise and interpret the data obtained. In this respect, the platform used was built using the Qgis free software program. Alongside this, the Sig.Arq. program was used to manage the results of the excavations. This program allows you to enter the results of excavations in a spatial data base in a way that is systematic, uniform and georeferenced.

Image: Orthophotograph property of the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, accessible on www.icgc.cat.

Photogrammetry

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To analyse and document the best-preserved structures in the Puig Ciutat site in detail, several photogrammetric studies have been performed. This technique provides geometric, radiometric and semantic information about three-dimensional objects in reality, using different photographs taken from different points of view. The model generated, despite not having real measurements, does have relative measurements that can be converted to real measurements and even to geolocation points if backup markers on the ground are used. This technique produces a model of reality, first in the form of points and polygons and, subsequently, on a solid, textured surface. In this respect, photogrammetry not only provides volumes and 3D measurements, it also offers quality, accuracy and speed in the execution and obtention of large amounts of information.