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Cova de la Pastora: A Study of Death and Discovery in the Prehistory of Spain

  • Sabin Hall - Room G90 3413 North Downer Avenue Milwaukee, WI, 53211 United States (map)

In the 1940s, the discovery of a burial site in the hills outside of Alcoi, Spain created an international stir. The remains of up to 70 people with copious precious and unusual grave goods including beads and carved bone idols were exhumed from the cave. Several of the individuals had trepanations – holes carved into their skulls while alive – that were the first to be documented in Spain. Dating to the Late Neolithic/Eneolithic (ca. 3000 BC), the quality of grave goods and the communal burial rite suggested to archaeologists of the day that an elite group had been buried at this location and Cova de la Pastora became a poster child for the emergence of social inequality in the region. We challenged this interpretation, and beginning in 2007 in a joint project with the University of Valencia, we re-analyzed the finds and conducted new excavations at the site. We also reconstructed the old excavations and how material was recovered, moved from the site to various museums, and subsequently analyzed over a 60-year period. In the process we found a rich tapestry of scientific history along with new discoveries on the timing and nature of burials in this cave. This presentation tells the story of death and discovery at Cova de la Pastora.

Earlier Event: November 2
Great Shipwrecks of Wisconsin