SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE December 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Museum of Nature and Archaeology (MUNA) enhances its role in advancing research into the Ancient World in the Canary Islands with the latest series of systematic archaeological digs in the Roman purple workshop, located on the island of Lobos, conducted last November.
A team of experts is carrying out work in the area under the leadership of MUNA curator, Mercedes Aguilar, alongside Isidoro Hernández Sánchez, director of the Archaeological Museum of Fuerteventura, and María del Carmen del Arco Aguilar, professor of Prehistory, Honorary Professor at the University of La Laguna, and emeritus researcher at the Museums of Tenerife.
Mercedes del Arco notes in a statement that the archaeological efforts of this new campaign focused on the areas identified last year through georadar, where anomalies were detected in the subsoil, in order to clarify their nature and ascertain the extent of the archaeological site.
These efforts have revealed that the Roman presence extended beyond the currently protected and excavated boundaries, exhibiting a variety of materials, particularly ceramics, metals, combustion structures, and areas identified as paved flooring.
The recorded archaeological materials encompass storage amphorae, ceramics for kitchen and dining, as well as specialised tools, both lithic and metallic, used for the production of purple dye and the capture of other marine resources.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that concurrently, work was conducted on the southern part of the Roman purple workshop from the late Republican and early Imperial periods, across an open area of 26 square metres, uncovering different episodes of occupation with new discoveries of purple shells, purpurigenous sediments, successive combustion structures, and an extensive collection of manufacturing remains and faunal remains, both terrestrial and marine.
In turn, José Carlos Acha, the Minister of Culture and Museums of the Cabildo of Tenerife, praises the progress made in archaeological work that has led to the identification of the Roman purple workshop, describing it as “essential research for the cultural reconstruction of the indigenous societies of the archipelago”.
“These excavations provide insight into the history of our ancestors, and we are sincerely thankful to the team of technicians, topographers, and archaeologists, as well as the companies and institutions for their support in continuing these significant discoveries,” he remarked.
The fieldwork is financed through a collaboration agreement between the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the Autonomous Organisation of Museums and Centres of the Cabildo of Tenerife, with support from Binter for the transport of materials and personnel. The team comprises archaeologists from the three participating institutions, paleontologists from the University of La Laguna and the OAMC, as well as researchers from the fields of Petrology, Geochemistry, Edaphology, and Agricultural Chemistry from the University of La Laguna.
