Municipal Museum of Villajoyosa

The research project “Iberian Villajoyosa: Territory, Sanctuary and Frontiers” has brought together a number of French and Spanish scientific institutions. The aim of the project is to study two important Iberian settlements in the Villajoyosa Municipal area and to relate them to their geographic surroundings. It is not by chance that the investigations into the Iberian world in Villajoyosa have provided such important results in the last few years to the overall investigation of the proto-history of the Spanish peninsular. The importance of these investigations has recently been recognised by the scientific community.

Villajoyosa Town Council, through the Municipal Service of Archaeology, Ethnography and Museums has supplied the project’s infrastructure, including laboratories for restoration and investigation, storerooms, exhibition space as well as specialised archaeological and restoration staff.

The core of the project consists of a French archaeological expedition formed by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), la Casa de Velázquez (French School of Archaeology, based in Madrid) and the French Foreign Ministry. The project called Urbanisme et architecture de l'Age du Fer en Espagne Orientale, (Urbanism and Architecture in the Iron Age in Western Spain) is directed by Dr. Pierre Rouillard (director of the Maison René Ginouvès d'Archéologie et Ethnologie of the Université Paris-10), Dr. Pierre Moret (Directeur des Études of the ancient and medieval periods in the Casa de Velázquez in Madrid) and Dr. Eric Gailledrat (Chargé de Recherche 1ère catégorie, CNRS).

This expedition, which includes a number of internationally acclaimed investigators, has provided the majority of the project’s funding, the personnel, the project materials, its own series of publications, as well as other means of making the project results publicly available. The French participation in this project is financed by the French Foreign Ministry and the Casa de Velázquez.

The Department of Archaeology of the University of Alicante has been involved in this project through Dr Jesus Moratalla, a specialist in the Iberian period and another University Professor Dr. Antonio Espinosa. It has also supplied facilities, library and investigation resources in addition to those provided by the Municipal Museum of Villajoyosa. As well as the international importance of this project, the project offers a great opportunity to students and recent graduates of Alicante University to gain valuable experience in archaeological fieldwork. An average of five French students and a number of Spanish students have participated in each excavation campaign.

The project will last for 4 years, through annual fieldwork campaigns. The first campaign took place from 20th March to 10th April 2005 and the second during April 2006.

They have concentrated on the coastal sanctuary site of Tossal de la Malladeta, where an important rebuilding phase (c.100 BC) and a number of domestic structures occupying the hill sides have been recorded With this project Villajoyosa Town Council has continued to work closely with international investigation projects to study the remarkable local heritage.

The council’s collaboration began a few years ago through its participation in the European Union ANSER project.