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Technicians and authorities from the Marq with the exhibition catalogue. D.A.
The Marq Presents Catalogue of Byzantine Jewellery Exhibition Unearthed in Rojales Necropolis

The Marq Presents Catalogue of Byzantine Jewellery Exhibition Unearthed in Rojales Necropolis

The exhibition 'Treasures for Eternity' is open until May 2025

Todo Alicante

Alicante

Martes, 7 de enero 2025, 14:00

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante presented the catalogue for the exhibition 'Treasures for Eternity: The Funerary Rite at Cabezo del Molino' this Tuesday, which includes four sets of Byzantine jewellery discovered in the necropolis of the Rojales site.

The Deputy for Culture, Juan de Dios Navarro, participated in this event alongside the Mayor of Rojales, Antonio Pérez; the Director of the Marq, Manuel Olcina; the Managing Director of the CV Marq Foundation, José Alberto Cortés, and the exhibition curator, Mª Teresa Ximénez de Embún, an archaeologist.

The new publication features images and data from the exhibition, which was inaugurated last year and can be visited in the Museum's lobby until next May. Navarro explained that it is a 'high-quality' edition that compiles the results obtained from research conducted since 2018 at the Cabezo del Molino site.

'This project was part of the Annual Excavation Plan of the Alicante Provincial Council and has had the collaboration of the Rojales Town Hall and the Archaeological and Palaeontological Museum of this locality from its inception,' he noted.

Numerous Child Burials

The excavations highlight the high number of child burials found - likely victims of the severe epidemic known as the 'Plague of Justinian' - and the discovery of a set of young female graves, aged between 6 and 12 years, which received special treatment in death. These girls experienced a sudden and premature death that prevented them from participating in significant social rituals, such as marriage, during their lifetime. Therefore, in death, with utmost care, they were adorned in a special manner, with jewellery typical of brides. In these cases, as Ximénez de Embún explained, 'the documented funerary rite has been striking and moving, leaving us with sets composed of necklaces and earrings made from high-quality raw materials such as amber, bronze, and silver, glass paste, or semi-precious stones like carnelian and turquoise.'

Experts and researchers such as Juan Antonio López Padilla, an archaeologist at the Marq, Susana Gómez, a professor at the Isabel I University of Burgos, Henry L. Gruber from the University of North Carolina (USA), or the Marq restorers Silvia Roca and Tatiana María Martínez, as well as architect Ángel Rocamora and Teresa Ximénez de Embún herself, have contributed to the book, which consists of more than 140 pages.

Through innovative museography, explanatory panels, and a narrative video, 'Treasures for Eternity' showcases a unique moment in history. Cabezo del Molino is one of the first sites in the province where the presence of Byzantine-era populations (6th-7th centuries AD) has been confirmed, in this case through a large necropolis, which is also one of the earliest manifestations of Christian communities in rural areas of our territory.

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todoalicante The Marq Presents Catalogue of Byzantine Jewellery Exhibition Unearthed in Rojales Necropolis