Amics del Museu de Menorca has presented the results of the 2024 campaign at Torre d'en Galmés. The team has continued excavating one of the domestic structures of the complex, known as ‘Structure 1’, where they have discovered how the dwelling sits on a series of silos dug into the rock.
Since the 1990s, the association Amics del Museu de Menorca (Friends of the Museum of Menorca) has been working hard to research, promote and disseminate the history of Menorca. One of its most outstanding projects is the excavation and restoration of protohistoric houses in Torre d'en Galmés.
Since 2020, the team of archaeologists and restorers has focused on a group of houses located in the northern part of the settlement, between two of the three talayots that represent the oldest phase of occupation of the settlement.
Excavation of ‘Structure 1
The team is currently excavating one of the domestic structures of the complex, known as ‘Structure 1’. This dwelling maintains the archetype of the habitat ‘circles’ from the end of Menorca's prehistoric period, although it has unique characteristics in the orientation of the access portal, the distribution of the spaces and the construction techniques used.
After removing the stones from the rubble in previous campaigns, archaeologists are now excavating the occupation levels of the house, which are particularly rich in material remains of the last inhabitants. During the 2021, 2022 and 2023 campaigns, the remains of six deceased individuals have been found, which are being studied by a specialised archaeologist. Carbon-14 analysis indicates that these individuals lived between the second half of the 4th century and the 3rd century B.C. The presence of human skeletons in a domestic space suggests that these people died in unusual circumstances, probably during the last episode of occupation of the dwelling.
Discoveries in the storage structures
In addition, it has been discovered that the house sits on a series of rock-hewn silos, which have been amortised by the internal walls of the house. These silos, from an earlier phase, were part of a storage and channelling system. During the current campaign, the excavation of one of the silos has been completed and the excavation of another one has begun, documenting steps in the walls that allowed access to the bottom. The study of these structures, possibly used for the storage of water, provides an insight into the management of this vital resource by the ancient inhabitants of Menorca.
Excavations outside the house
On the south exterior of the house, they are excavating amortisation levels full of fragmentary and weathered material remains of indigenous and Punic-Ebusitan origin. The excavation of these spaces offers a perspective on the impact and interaction of the domestic units with their immediate surroundings, reflecting aspects of the daily life of their inhabitants.
Participation and collaboration
The project has involved the participation of around fifteen technicians, students and volunteers from Menorca, Mallorca, Catalonia, Madrid, Valencia and Andalusia. It is co-directed by the archaeologists Borja Corral and Carlos de Salort, together with the restorer Francesc Isbert.
This project is possible thanks to funding from the Consell Insular de Menorca, the Alaior Town Council and the members of the association Amics del Museu de Menorca. It also has the scientific support of the University of Boston, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage of Belgium, the Escuela Superior de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales de Catalunya and the topography company TANIT SL.
Visiting day
To share all these findings and advances, the association Amics del Museu has organised a visiting day on Thursday July 25 at 7.30 pm at Torre d'en Galmés. We invite you to participate in this activity to discover more about the fascinating history of Torre d'en Galmés and the research and conservation work being carried out.