Ibiza activates urgent measures to conserve wood and leather finds in Vila

The Consell Insular de Ibiza and the Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera have activated a joint device to ensure the proper conservation of the delicate archaeological remains found in a preventive intervention carried out on the site of Madrid Street, in Vila. The works were carried out on a plot where the IBAVI plans to build a block of subsidized housing.

The excavation, which concluded last week, was mandatory because the site is within the archaeological precautionary zone delimited by the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) of Ibiza, approved in July 2023. During the archaeological control, ceramic deposits from the Punic period, constructive structures from the High Imperial period and Andalusian substructures were documented, as well as other remains of historical interest.

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Among the most relevant findings are several sets with a large number of organic elements, mainly wood and leather, which have reached our days thanks to a submerged microclimate that has allowed their preservation for centuries. Among the pieces stands out the wooden male figure that could represent Hercules, in a context that has reached unprecedented dimensions in the archaeology of Ebusitania.

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Given the extreme fragility of these materials and the risk of accelerated deterioration, the technicians of the Department of Heritage of the Consell de Ibiza and those responsible for the Archaeological Museum agreed on urgent measures for their preservation. Among them, the acquisition of a refrigerated container with sufficient capacity to keep the pieces at a suitable temperature and the reinforcement of the human team in charge of the previous cleaning of the remains.

In addition, both institutions have initiated contacts with a specialized center that has the technical and human resources necessary to undertake the restoration and definitive conservation of the materials. In this sense, the Centre d’Arqueologia Subaquàtica de Catalunya is emerging as the entity in charge of completing the process, provided that the corresponding collaboration agreement is formalized.

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