This past summer, I had the privilege of participating in the Roman Villa Son Sard excavation on Mallorca, working alongside a dedicated team of Leiden staff, students and local archaeologists. This is the second season for this project (for the first season, see this blog post), led by Letty ten Harkel, Ritchie Kolvers and local archaeologist Antoni Puig Palerm, and generously supported by the Municipality of Son Servera and the Chastelain-Nobach fund of the LUF. Because this project is still so new, I want to touch upon the many aspects that go into an archaeological project like this one: how it begins, how it is decided where to excavate, the methods employed, and how the findings can be interpreted.

A Historical Background

Mallorca was colonized by the Romans in 123 BCE, which is relatively late compared to other regions of the Western Mediterranean. The primary motivation for this colonization was strategic: controlling trade routes and addressing the threat posed by pirates who operated from the Balearic Islands.

In 2012, the remains of a Roman bathhouse were discovered during the expansion of a road. The archaeologist present during the expansion recognized archaeological remains and the subsequent excavation led to the unexpected discovery. This unexpected find raised questions: Who could afford such a luxury in a remote Roman province? What does this reveal about rural occupation on Mallorca during this period? The discovery suggested the likely existence of a nearby Roman villa, as a rural bathhouse would typically belong to a wealthy individual residing nearby.

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Investigation

The approach taken for the investigation of the area surrounding the bathhouse is multifaceted, combining the excavation of trial trenches, surface surveys, and magnetometry. The latter was done before we arrived as detailed in a previous blog post by fellow student Lidwien.

Last year, the focus was primarily on trial trenches, with three trenches opened. Though this did not lead to new information as to the whereabouts of the Roman villa, they did provide interesting results in the form of an Islamic grave. The grave, though poorly preserved, was identified as Islamic based on its narrow shape, approximate NNE-SSW orientation, with the deceased on its side facing toward Mecca, and the absence of grave goods (a characteristic of both Islamic and Christian burials).

Insights from the Islamic Grave

Despite its poor preservation, the grave provided valuable information. Though few bones were preserved and they seemed to be in bad condition, there was enough bone left for radiocarbon dating and isotope analysis. The teeth survived well and were also a good candidate for isotopic and osteoarchaeological analyses. Isotope analyses can be used to gain many insights into the deceased, including where they lived, what their diet consisted of, and movement patterns. Further analysis of the teeth will hopefully be carried out in the future.

Last year, a piece of bone was first sent to the Groningen lab for radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen, which can provide insights into past diet. The analysis dated the burial to the 11th or 12th century, confirming its origins in Mallorca's Islamic period. Based on the development of the teeth, specialist Dr Llorenç Alapont Martin could furthermore identify it as a child of around three to four years old, as was suspected due to the size of the grave. Additionally, dietary insights were gained from the remains, such as the fact that the child had until recently been (partially) breastfed, which can be detected through elevated nitrogen levels. While the discovery of an Islamic cemetery was unexpected in the search for a Roman villa, it offered valuable context for the region’s broader occupational history.

This year, the trench containing the Islamic grave was reopened and expanded for further investigation, revealing that there were more graves in the area that, for now, were left unexcavated. However, the primary focus shifted to surveying, a technique valuable for the investigation of larger areas and identifying area of interest for future investigation.

Surveying the Landscape

Archaeological survey allows us to investigate a larger area for finds, it can help us draw conclusions about when this area was occupied, and identify concentrations of artifacts from specific time periods. This is very helpful in locating where potential structural remains could be, and in turn with finding interesting locations to place future trial trenches.

Our team established large grid systems, each consisting of 5x5-meter squares, in two different locations in the area. We carefully walked through each grid one by one, collecting any archaeological remains on the surface. Each find was bagged and labeled with the corresponding grid information. Later, during find processing, the pottery was washed and the finds were cataloged and analyzed in a database by pottery specialist Roderick Geerts. Finds were photographed, and pottery sherds with identifiable shapes were drawn and digitalized. This process can lead to many interesting data analysis opportunities, such as the creation of heat maps, visualizing artifact density across the surveyed area.

Overcoming Challenges

Despite Mallorca’s reputation for sunny weather, we got very unlucky with the weather with three stormy days during our first week, making it too dangerous to go into the field (and sadly for all the tourists, to go to the beach). These unforeseen circumstances, though unfortunate and frustrating, are part of the unpredictable nature of archaeological research. There are always circumstances out of our control which affect the project, so it is very important to stay flexible and adapt. We were able to fill these days with find-processing and other activities related to the project.

Public Outreach

A very important aspect of archaeological research is the involvement of the local communities, informing them of the research taking place and connecting them with their local heritage. During this project two outreach events were organized, one in Catalan / Castilian, and one in English. Both proved to be immensely successful, with many interested locals joining and participating by asking insightful questions.

As a archaeology student, I would like to emphasize that these outreach events are not only valuable because of the information they provide the local people with, but also because of the conversations we can have with them. What is the local community interested in? What would they like to know more about? What interesting ideas do they have about the research that we are doing? The involvement of local communities into the research also provides the researchers with interesting new perspectives to take into consideration and to get inspired by.

Concluding the Season

Although the location of the elusive Roman villa remains undiscovered, this season’s work confirmed last year’s suspicion of an Islamic cemetery. In addition to this, we found many Roman artifacts, particularly pottery, as well as later Byzantine and Islamic wares. Archaeological projects can be very complex, considering the multifaceted approach taken and the many unknowns. Each step taken provides us with many more insights into the past, along with many more associated questions!