Books by Josep Maria Macias Solé
El circ romà de Tarragona, monument i ciutat = El Circo romano de Tarragona. Monumento y ciudad = The Roman Circus of Tarragona. Monument and city, 2023
This book is the result of a teaching and research project carried out by members of the Catalan ... more This book is the result of a teaching and research project carried out by members of the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC) and the Technical School of Architecture (ETSA) of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV). Both institutions have joined forces to set up an interdisciplinary working space that provides university teaching and research with their own unique personality. Students and teachers alike have participated in the documentation and analysis of the Roman Circus of Tarragona. With a surface area of four hectares, its omnipresence makes it a heritage reality immanent in a significant part of the contemporary historical centre. Since the 5th century, the Circus has undergone a process of transformation which, from an urbanistic point of view, ended in the 14th century with the city's expansión. Tarraco's Roman Circus is an excellent case study for developing this learning and methodological experimentation strategy. It is the result of 1900 years of history that allows us to understand the appearance of today's city as the result of an involuntary process of urban planning determinism. That is to say, we can identify and understand the medieval, modern or contemporary city by identifying the Circus’ substratum.
The Roman circus of Tarragona. Monument and city (Cat/Esp/Eng), 2023
This book is the result of a teaching and research project carried out by members of the Catalan ... more This book is the result of a teaching and research project carried out by members of the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC) and the Technical School of Architecture (ETSA) of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV). Both institutions have joined forces to set up an interdisciplinary working space that provides university teaching and research with their own unique personality. Students and teachers alike have participated in the documentation and analysis of the Roman Circus of Tarragona. With a surface area of four hectares, its omnipresence makes it a heritage reality immanent in a significant part of the contemporary historical centre. Since the 5th century, the Circus has undergone a process of transformation which, from an urbanistic point of view, ended in the 14th century with the city's expansión. Tarraco's Roman Circus is an excellent case study for developing this learning and methodological experimentation strategy. It is the result of 1900 years of history that allows us to understand the appearance of today's city as the result of an involuntary process of urban planning determinism. That is to say, we can identify and understand the medieval, modern or contemporary city by identifying the Circus’ substratum.
Biblical Museum Tarraconense is located in the building known as the Casa dels Concilis, next to ... more Biblical Museum Tarraconense is located in the building known as the Casa dels Concilis, next to the Cathedral. The building consists of a unique architectural palimpsest, indicative of the phenomenon that is the urban transformation of Mediterranean cities. Since 14th December 2020, the museum’s facilities have included a new interpretative space dedicated to explaining the historical evolution of Tarragona’s acropolis. This has become an effective tool to explain the topographical and urbanistic transformation of this historic city which, from its modest coastal hill, became the political and religious epicentre of a Roman provincial capital, and later the metropolitan see and primacy of the Spanish church. It is a new facility, which complements the visit to the Biblical Museum and to the historic centre of Tarragona. It also aims to promote the sharing of scientific knowledge by offering access to the results of scientific research carried out over the last twenty years.
The publication Tarracropolis: a scientific journey through 2,000 years of history brings its contents together with museum pieces, images, architectural reconstructions, and a set of 3D reproductions that form part of the interpretative space. It joins two more publications: Praesidium, Templum et Ecclesia. Archaeological interventions at the Cathedral of Tarragona (2010-2011) (published 2012) and Amphiteatrum, Memoria Martyrum et Ecclesiae (2013). This trilogy is the result of its authors’ commitment to providing a tool for the transfer of knowledge. It combines research and museography with the aid of people, administrations and organisations who not only love heritage, but also understand it as an indispensable asset for the advancement of society.
The Pla de Nadal was an exceptional palatine building, situated in Ribaroja de Turia, near Valenc... more The Pla de Nadal was an exceptional palatine building, situated in Ribaroja de Turia, near Valencia. It was built between the end of the 7th century or with more probability in the beginning of the 8th century. It was excavated between 1981 and 1989 by the Museo de Prehistoria of Valencia with the direction of Empar Juan. This palace was accidentally discovered by works in the fields of this area. This agricultural activity destroyed more than the half of the building. The main facade and the whole southern part is the only area that has been preserved.
The palace was a monumental building with two towers on the façade, a central courtyard, and a luxurious top floor of aristocratic and representative character. The ground floor was of utilitarian function. We can highlight its extraordinarily rich architectural decoration from the collapsed upper floor.
The walls are nearly a meter thick and they have been kept in a height of 2.35 meters, with the windows. The walls have not foundations, and they supported on the solid natural soil, which was also the paving of the lower floor. The most of the walls are of masonry with the surface plastered. The architectural decoration highlights, because it constitute the most important collection, both by the number and the quality of its size, of the Visigoth Kingdom and one of the most significant of the entire Western world. They present a great functional and typological diversity, and a very specific iconography. We could speak too about the very interesting signs of the work of sculptural workshops techniques. Moreover, by the circumstances of its discovery, these sculptural pieces were found in situ in the levels of destruction of the building.
There are almost 800 pieces, which we could divide into two groups. On the one hand, the reused Roman stones of good quality and large size, which are the least. They had mainly architectural and structural function. On the other hand, the numerous sculptures who were worked directly on-the site for several hands or workshops, that developed the iconographic program of the building. About 400 of them, more than half, are ornamental and decorative, and they would be in the main room on the upper floor. The sustentation elements are also very numerous: capitals, columns and bases, some of them without authentic architectural feature, because of in the most of them prevailed the decorative function. We can see a constant repetition of the themes of scallops and the trifolias in the inner parts of the arches. There are some unique pieces, such as openwork crosses, the rosettes and the merlons.
The architecture of this building has a very clear Eastern influence of the Byzantine world.
Pla de Nadal is an exceptional ensemble of Palatine character in the territory of Valentia, which was the B.l.nt.la of the Arabic texts of the Theodemir Pact. Their architecture responds to the model of the Late Antiquity villae with Gallery and corner towers on the flanks, and a central peristyle. The compact ensemble with angular towers has the aspect of a Palace-fortress.
By archaeological and Epigraphic documents, we can link this building to Theodomir, the dux of this territory in the dawn of the Visigoth Kingdom and the beginnings of the Arab domination. Theodomir would represent the rise of the nobility in the front of the Royal power, at the same time that the historical sources reflect the failure of centralization and a State strong Visigoth. These duces provincial focused civil and military power in his hands. This early proto-feudal aristocracy would use a model house with porches, open areas of representation and copious use of the architectural decoration.
The building was used little time, less than a century. A great fire provoked the collapse and the destruction, which was been preceded by the total looting of furniture elements.
By a lot of studies about his historical, archaeological and architectural modulation, we can propose a new interpretation of the ensemble. There was another nearby building, Plan de Nadal II, which had been destroyed by the construction of a motorway.
Sèrie TRAMA, 2020
Edición de las II Jornades Internacionals d’Arqueologia de Riba-roja de Túria (València) celebrad... more Edición de las II Jornades Internacionals d’Arqueologia de Riba-roja de Túria (València) celebradas en esta población entre los días 8-10 de noviembre de 2017.
Macias, J.M., Menchon, J., Muñoz, A.: Tàrraco: Guia Arqueològica Visual. Reconstrucció Virtual de l’Urbs i els seus voltants. Reus 2005., 2005
Vislumbrando la Tardoantigüedad: Una mirada desde la Arqueología, 2018
EN: The original idea for the realization of this book was the incorporation into the regional sp... more EN: The original idea for the realization of this book was the incorporation into the regional sphere of some frameworks and debates that are being carried out at the moment in the field of national and international archaeological research about Late Antiquity.
This was intended on the one hand to put on the table some aspects that helped develop the understanding that we have of the local-regional archaeological record, of La Rioja in this case, but also peninsular by another, to the limited extent of our possibilities and records. A two-way discussion (not monologue), which we wanted to be fruitful for researchers and, at the same time, make it accessible to the general public.
This was done by through an divulgative congress and that now materializes in a book with the contributions of scientific articles that, in a way of chapters, articulate and structure in a choral way a multivariable approach to the Late Antiquity with the heterogeneity of formations, thematic and spatial areas presented by the very different authors who have written it.
-------------------------
ES: La idea originaria para la realización de este libro fue la incorporación a la esfera regional de algunos marcos de trabajo y debates que se están realizando en estos momentos en el campo de la investigación arqueológica nacional e internacional acerca de la Tardoantigüedad.
Con ello se pretendía por un lado poner sobre la mesa ciertos aspectos que ayudasen a desarrollar la comprensión que tenemos del registro arqueológico local-regional, riojano en este caso, pero también peninsular por otro, en la medida limitada de nuestras posibilidades y registros. Un debate bidireccional (no monólogo), que queríamos que fuera fructífero para los investigadores y, al mismo tiempo, hacerlo accesible al público en general.
Esto se hizo por medio de un congreso divulgativo y que ahora se materializa en la elaboración de un libro con las aportaciones de artículos científicos que, a modo de capítulos, articulan y estructuran de forma coral un acercamiento multivariable a la Tardoantigüedad con la heterogeneidad de formaciones, ámbitos temáticos y espaciales que presentan los muy diferentes autores que lo han escrito.
Valencia, 2015
Índice
Prólogo .................................................................................... more Índice
Prólogo ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Introducción ................................................................................................................................ 9
Su descubrimiento y las excavaciones ...................................................................................... 14
El levantamiento escáner-láser .................................................................................................. 22
La decoración escultórica .......................................................................................................... 27
Estudio y propuesta de reconstrucción .................................................................................... 36
Teodomiro de Riba-roja del Túria (y de Oriola) ...................................................................... 42
Bibliografía
Disseny i maquetació | möla! Impressió | Sugrañes Editors, S.L © d'aquesta edició | els editors ©... more Disseny i maquetació | möla! Impressió | Sugrañes Editors, S.L © d'aquesta edició | els editors © dels textos | els autors © de les fotografies i il·lustracions | els autors o propietaris ISBN | 978-84-939033-7-4 Dipòsit legal | La reproducció parcial o total d'aquesta obra per qualsevol procediment, inclosos la reprografia, el tractament informàtic i la distribució d'exemplars mitjançant lloguer o prèstecs públics, resta rigorosament prohibida sense l'autorització escrita dels titulars del copyright, i està sotmesa a les sancions establertes a la llei.
Uploads
Books by Josep Maria Macias Solé
The publication Tarracropolis: a scientific journey through 2,000 years of history brings its contents together with museum pieces, images, architectural reconstructions, and a set of 3D reproductions that form part of the interpretative space. It joins two more publications: Praesidium, Templum et Ecclesia. Archaeological interventions at the Cathedral of Tarragona (2010-2011) (published 2012) and Amphiteatrum, Memoria Martyrum et Ecclesiae (2013). This trilogy is the result of its authors’ commitment to providing a tool for the transfer of knowledge. It combines research and museography with the aid of people, administrations and organisations who not only love heritage, but also understand it as an indispensable asset for the advancement of society.
The palace was a monumental building with two towers on the façade, a central courtyard, and a luxurious top floor of aristocratic and representative character. The ground floor was of utilitarian function. We can highlight its extraordinarily rich architectural decoration from the collapsed upper floor.
The walls are nearly a meter thick and they have been kept in a height of 2.35 meters, with the windows. The walls have not foundations, and they supported on the solid natural soil, which was also the paving of the lower floor. The most of the walls are of masonry with the surface plastered. The architectural decoration highlights, because it constitute the most important collection, both by the number and the quality of its size, of the Visigoth Kingdom and one of the most significant of the entire Western world. They present a great functional and typological diversity, and a very specific iconography. We could speak too about the very interesting signs of the work of sculptural workshops techniques. Moreover, by the circumstances of its discovery, these sculptural pieces were found in situ in the levels of destruction of the building.
There are almost 800 pieces, which we could divide into two groups. On the one hand, the reused Roman stones of good quality and large size, which are the least. They had mainly architectural and structural function. On the other hand, the numerous sculptures who were worked directly on-the site for several hands or workshops, that developed the iconographic program of the building. About 400 of them, more than half, are ornamental and decorative, and they would be in the main room on the upper floor. The sustentation elements are also very numerous: capitals, columns and bases, some of them without authentic architectural feature, because of in the most of them prevailed the decorative function. We can see a constant repetition of the themes of scallops and the trifolias in the inner parts of the arches. There are some unique pieces, such as openwork crosses, the rosettes and the merlons.
The architecture of this building has a very clear Eastern influence of the Byzantine world.
Pla de Nadal is an exceptional ensemble of Palatine character in the territory of Valentia, which was the B.l.nt.la of the Arabic texts of the Theodemir Pact. Their architecture responds to the model of the Late Antiquity villae with Gallery and corner towers on the flanks, and a central peristyle. The compact ensemble with angular towers has the aspect of a Palace-fortress.
By archaeological and Epigraphic documents, we can link this building to Theodomir, the dux of this territory in the dawn of the Visigoth Kingdom and the beginnings of the Arab domination. Theodomir would represent the rise of the nobility in the front of the Royal power, at the same time that the historical sources reflect the failure of centralization and a State strong Visigoth. These duces provincial focused civil and military power in his hands. This early proto-feudal aristocracy would use a model house with porches, open areas of representation and copious use of the architectural decoration.
The building was used little time, less than a century. A great fire provoked the collapse and the destruction, which was been preceded by the total looting of furniture elements.
By a lot of studies about his historical, archaeological and architectural modulation, we can propose a new interpretation of the ensemble. There was another nearby building, Plan de Nadal II, which had been destroyed by the construction of a motorway.
This was intended on the one hand to put on the table some aspects that helped develop the understanding that we have of the local-regional archaeological record, of La Rioja in this case, but also peninsular by another, to the limited extent of our possibilities and records. A two-way discussion (not monologue), which we wanted to be fruitful for researchers and, at the same time, make it accessible to the general public.
This was done by through an divulgative congress and that now materializes in a book with the contributions of scientific articles that, in a way of chapters, articulate and structure in a choral way a multivariable approach to the Late Antiquity with the heterogeneity of formations, thematic and spatial areas presented by the very different authors who have written it.
-------------------------
ES: La idea originaria para la realización de este libro fue la incorporación a la esfera regional de algunos marcos de trabajo y debates que se están realizando en estos momentos en el campo de la investigación arqueológica nacional e internacional acerca de la Tardoantigüedad.
Con ello se pretendía por un lado poner sobre la mesa ciertos aspectos que ayudasen a desarrollar la comprensión que tenemos del registro arqueológico local-regional, riojano en este caso, pero también peninsular por otro, en la medida limitada de nuestras posibilidades y registros. Un debate bidireccional (no monólogo), que queríamos que fuera fructífero para los investigadores y, al mismo tiempo, hacerlo accesible al público en general.
Esto se hizo por medio de un congreso divulgativo y que ahora se materializa en la elaboración de un libro con las aportaciones de artículos científicos que, a modo de capítulos, articulan y estructuran de forma coral un acercamiento multivariable a la Tardoantigüedad con la heterogeneidad de formaciones, ámbitos temáticos y espaciales que presentan los muy diferentes autores que lo han escrito.
Prólogo ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Introducción ................................................................................................................................ 9
Su descubrimiento y las excavaciones ...................................................................................... 14
El levantamiento escáner-láser .................................................................................................. 22
La decoración escultórica .......................................................................................................... 27
Estudio y propuesta de reconstrucción .................................................................................... 36
Teodomiro de Riba-roja del Túria (y de Oriola) ...................................................................... 42
Bibliografía