Museo Castro de Chao Samartín Grandas de Salime, Asturias Catalogue English version of the texts by Antonio García Álvarez and Eva González Busch Museo Castro de Chao Samartín / 537 Institutional presentations other sites in the region, such as Os Castros, of the Navia Basin Archaeological Director Plan. in Taramundi, or Monte Castrelo, in Pelóu. It By means of this document the Ministry for Mr Vicente Álvarez Areces is an essential collection in order to know the Culture and Tourism arranges and coordinates all President of the Principality of Asturias history of the first inhabitants of the region its archaeological interventions in the Navia-Eo and get closer to the numerous places of territory. Its results are already obvious on the It is with a deep democratic conception of culture cultural and tourist interest in the evocative ground; now we must strive to make them that the Government of the Principality of Asturias territory of the Navia and Porcía basins. well-known so that their diffusion benefits promotes archaeological works as a necessary our whole society. This is the final aim of this meeting point for research, processing, preservation In this significant Catalogue we present the book we are contentedly presenting today and diffusion of our archaeological and cultural extraordinary wealth of Chao Samartín and its in the conviction that proper dissemination heritage which is not always properly valued. Museum, genuine sample of our valuable cultural can only exist through rigorous work and heritage, ready for everyone’s enjoyment. sufficiently contrasted scientific discourse. The works promoted for the excavation of archaeological sites, research and conservation of cave art, fortified enclosures and other testimonies from the past, have favoured their Ms Mercedes Álvarez González Prologue recognition within the scientific field as well as Minister for Culture and Tourism Miguel Ángel de Blas Cortina the recent incorporation of five caves to the World of the Principality of Asturias Professor of Prehistory Heritage. At the same time, the conditioning of these spaces in order to regulate and facilitate Looking after the protection, study and In a time when so many books spring up public visits and promote a better knowledge preservation of our cultural heritage constitutes one with the only aim of paper consumption of our heritage has given rise to important of the most complex tasks among those carried it’s a real pleasure to open one of useful cultural infrastructures spread all around the out by our Ministry. And it is so, due to different content and, no doubt, of a long life. territory, turned into valuable elements for the reasons: the great variety of agents involved, the economic, cultural and tourist boost of the area. necessary conciliation between private property If by definition a catalogue is a classified register and general interest and, essentially, the non- which describes elements of different kind, The excavations which have been taking place renewable nature of the goods to be protected. although with a common link, then, with the from 1990 onwards at Chao Samartín have Within the limits of our competence mistakes required qualifications, it’s one what we are revealed a hillfort of an exceptional interest. The are very often irreversible, whereas proper offered here. The context of relation of such magnificent and rigorous work developed during interventions go unnoticed and require continuous diverse testimonies, scattered about centuries, these years by the technical team responsible adaptation to changing social conditions. is clearly defined so that the connection for the research has offered us a valuable among the different objects is not only their archaeological deposit which demonstrates Fulfilling the Law of Cultural Heritage in Asturias, common origin in an exceptional hillfort but the occupation of this enclosure from Bronze passed in 2001, demands a continuous and also their belonging to historical episodes Age until the 2nd century of our era. onerous effort from the public administrations properly unveiled and explained to the reader. which, paradoxically, is often unobserved by Along with their contribution to a better citizens. ´The achievements and progress For these reasons this book is more than a understanding of the hillfort habitat, the undergone by our community in the last few meritorious reasoned catalogue. It is a historical numerous pieces recovered and the remains of years haven’t always been properly transmitted exhibition: the underhand delivery of the the oldest Roman villa in Asturias make Chao to our society despite the economic effort, biography of a human habitat, long-lived and Samartín a key reference of the Romanization the technicians’ qualification and the projects fundamental for the recreation of the past in the in the northwest of the Peninsula. quality. That’s why the book we are presenting rugged southwestern Asturian county. Moreover, here is so relevant. We are certain that the all the chained archaeological facts recorded The Catalogue of Castro de Chao Samartín information contained in the Catalogue of Chao at the Chao exceed widely its boundaries to Museum is also an exceptional work. Its authors Samartín Museum will surprise those who use become vital information to reset the birth do something which is not frequent within the it, even those familiar with Asturian history and and life in northwestern Spain hillforts. field of museum facilities: they not only make archaeology. In order to do so, it has been tried a brilliantly illustrated and detailed description to harmonize the rigorous scientific discourse For decades we were used to a distorted of the permanent exhibition of the Museum, with an attractive format and a careful graphic connection among the hillforts, the real knowledge but also incorporate, as a substantial part of treatment of the pieces which make up the we had about them, and their advertised image. its content, the theoretical reflections which collection. Among them we can find some That’s why Chao Samartín is very much admired. encouraged the museological project, the building absolutely exceptional ones in the archaeological design and the museographic introduction. This repertory of European proto-history which We speak of a distorted image because we way, they show us the steps and sequences of reveal, in a brilliant and spectacular way, the always had more appearance than certainty about their reasoned and collective work which finds importance of a site which has become essential hillforts. They were there but we hardly knew its adequate container in the Museum building to understand the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. anything about their beginning and end. We did itself: sober, modern, functional, and open to have Coaña but we didn’t know much about it. the landscape and history of its surrounding. The presentation of this Catalogue is a happy It became a good example of a dark time, with event, as it was the opening of the Museum no before or after; ambiguous ruins with few A key element to Navia Historical Park, the two years ago. However, it’s not a chance personal clues about their dwellers. So, was it pre- permanent exhibition of the Museum gathers happening: it is the product of the continuous Roman, in that case, could we date it? Or should pieces from Castro Samartín but also from work which is developing within the framework we understand it as a mere natives grouping 538 / English version of the texts ruled by the Roman autoritas in Imperial times? at Mohías allowed to guess the genesis and would take place in the last decades of the 20th evolution of such habitats, their articulation with century, a time when extended excavations of For decades we had no answers to basic their territory and their socio-political role in it. different continuity were first carried out at la questions related to this emblematic site Campa Torres, Gijón, Villaviciosa, later on, and and little useful information about similar The next chapter in this brief list of events lately Llagú, near Oviedo. This research would habitats was available. For this reason a brief happens in 1978, when some sectors of Larón provide an overall outlook of the first stable revision of the facts could be needed. hillfort are excavated. It is located in the southern concentrated settlement in central Asturias. slope of the Sierra de Rañadoiro strategically Hillforts archaeology was reduced to excavations over the river Ibias valley. Some years before, Not everything was gained without tension by A. del Llano at Picu del Castro, Co. Caravia, in the discovery of two palstaves, typical of the and controversy, legitimate in some cases; the first third of the 20th century. Since he was Final Bronze created expectations of a long vain and opportunistic others, fostered by a building businessman this was a meritorious sequence which allowed to relate palstaves and economic or private interests. The quarry affaire, research work, properly reported and published hillforts. Although the excavation was planned advancing towards Llagú hillfort, favoured absurd in 1919. It offered the first understandable with totally novel criteria for that time, it wasn’t confrontations, whereas similar circumstances view of an Iron Age fortified habitat. successful, and due to different reasons it in the same Oviedo county were tenaciously didn’t go on. The report concluded and Iron hushed up. At last all the information obtained, Twenty years later some research was undertaken Age generic occupation soon absorbed by the although by different criteria, became the on the west coast of Asturias. Between 1939 and Roman presence linked with the nearby gold first possibility to explain the appearance of 1942 A. García y Bellido and J. Uría Ríu excavated mining at La Muracal and the discovery of a hillforts to the east of the River Nalón and Coaña and Pendia hillforts.