Lead object with Iberian inscription discovered in Ullastret

The archaeologists working in the excavations of the defensive moat of Puig de Sant Andreu in the Iberian city of Ullastret (a small historic village on the Bay of Empordà in Catalonia) have discovered a small lead object with an Iberian inscription. This "exceptional" find is currently being restored in the laboratory of the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia in Girona, where an initial evaluation and a more detailed study will be carried out.

Credit: Museu d' Arqueologia de Catalunya

The object found in the levels that covered the moat, weighs 65 grams and measures 40 centimetres long and is approximately 25 centimetres wide. According to a preliminary study by the researcher Joan Ferrer, the inscription of 16 signs is structured in two lines and belongs to the northeastern 'dual' script.

Credit: Museu d' Arqueologia de Catalunya

The excavations of the Ullastret site's defensive moat began last November 2017 with a planned duration of four months. They are part of the restoration project of the walls of the Iberian city carried out by the Direccio General de Patrimoni Cultural del Departament de Cultura, which will recover 130 linear metres of the moat that protected the southwestern band of the fortification.

The restoration of the wall and the excavated part of the moat will present one of the most important defensive systems in the Iberian world and is expected to enhance the appearance of the site, which is managed by the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia.

Source: La Vanguardia [February 20, 2018]