«Can a fire broaden our understanding of a Roman quarry? The case of El Mèdol (Tarragona, Spain)

Abstract

During the study phase of a project to renew the way the Roman quarry of El Mèdol, officially declared Artistic Historical Monument by the Spanish Government in 1934 and World Heritage in 2000 by UNESCO, is presented to the public, a violent fire broke out (late July 2010). Four acres of the property where the quarry is were affected and after the charred remains of the forest, new perfectly-preserved areas of exploitation surfaced. Also, in an attempt to avoid new fires, the area around the pinnacle that remains the symbol of the whole site was cleared.

This paper presents the new evidences resulting from these circumstances as well as some other data from a research which is very much a work-in-progress but that nevertheless that enable us to better understand not only the real extent and chronological phases of the quarry but also other aspects related to its management and link with Tarraco, where its stone was widely used.