The Talayotic Menorca Agency premieres on its YouTube channel the short documentary
"Les inscripcions de la Cova des Jurats" (The Inscriptions of the Cova des Jurats). Made by archaeologist Bruno Parés, this audiovisual piece focuses on the Roman inscriptions in the Cova des Jurats, one of the natural cavities located in the Talayotic necropolis of Calescoves.
It is available in Catalan and subtitled in Spanish, English and French. This project is financed with European funds from the Next Generation EU Recovery and Resilience program.
Parés has documented in 3D the twenty or so Roman inscriptions, some engraved in the rock and others painted, found at the entrance to this sanctuary. In this way, researchers can visualise the inscriptions from the computer and distinguish letters that cannot be seen with the naked eye. At present, part of the cave's roof has collapsed and access is forbidden; a metal grille protects the inscriptions.
The inscriptions, which chronologically date from the 2nd to the 3rd century AD, all repeat the same date, April 21, which is the key to interpreting the whole. This is the day on which the
Natalis Vrbis, i.e. the foundation of Rome, was celebrated. The feast had deep roots in the founding legend of Rome, which links the creation of the city to the twin brothers Romulus and Remus.
The existence of the inscriptions at the entrance to the Cova des Jurats marks the use of this cave as a sanctuary in Roman times, highlights the importance of this place in the cultural and religious framework of the Roman world, and is evidence of the integration of Roman festivities in Menorca.
Pyrenae, Revista de Prehistòria i Antiguitat de la Mediterrània Occidental, recently published a
scientific article by Menorcan archaeologist Margarita Orfila on the solar phenomenon that occurred in the Cova des Jurats. This is the first time that this discovery has been published on a scientific level. The article details how on April 21, at dawn, a light effect is produced on these inscriptions located on the outside of the sanctuary. This could indicate that a ritual was held to commemorate the founding of Rome.
Calescoves, a World Heritage Site
Calescoves forms part of the group of Talayotic sites declared
a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is an archaeological area of great value due to the quantity and importance of its monuments.
Throughout prehistoric and Roman times, Calescoves aroused the interest of the Menorcan settlers. In its surroundings there is a necropolis from the Talayotic period (made up of more than 90 caves and burial hypogeums where they practised different rituals over the course of 1500 years) and a prehistoric jetty, a coastal settlement and the Imperial Roman sanctuary of the Cova des Jurats.
Technical specifications
-Direction: Bruno Parés
-Preproduction: Bruno Parés
-Script: Bruno Parés
-Speeches: Bruno Parés
-Voice-over: Gemma Contreras
-Production: Bruno Parés
-Cameras: Pol Parés and Bruno Parés
-Editing: Bruno Parés
-Post-production: Pol Parés and Bruno Parés
-Sound: Pol Parés and Bruno Parés
-Illustrations: Andreu Torres
-3D Documentation: Bruno Parés
-Soundtrack: Bruno Parés with the free sound archive of FILMORA 13
-Duration→ 09:12