Northern Alicante Survey 1991-1993

(Arizona State University & Universitat de València)

This was my initial field project in the Mediterranean and my first NSF grant for archaeological research (NSF Archaeology Program grants BNS-9115209 and SBR-9904050). Our survey was carried out in a series of valleys of the upper Rio Serpis drainage, in the vicinity of Alcoi, Alicante, Spain. It was a learning experience for all of us involved in the joint ASU/U Valencia project, but an enjoyable and very successful one. We learned each others’ research language and traditions, developed new methods to do patch-based survey in Mediterranean landscapes, used computers and early GIS programs in the field, combined GIS with aerial photography, and developed new methods of regional analysis of palimpsest surface collections. The first major publication from this research was:

Barton, C. M., Bernabeu Auban, J., Aura Tortosa, J. E., & Garcia Puchol, O. (1999). Landscape dynamics and socioeconomic change: an example from the Polop Alto valley. American Antiquity, 64(4), 609-634.

(see Publications section for other papers)

1991 survey in the Polop Alto valley

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1993 survey in the Val d’Alcalá and Val de Gallinera, and visiting other locales

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Image Captions and Locations

Image#	Caption	Coordinates	Location
01	survey_locations
02	City
03	1991 field crew at the Preventorio in the Polop Valley
04	Polop Alto valley
05	Starting the survey
06	Polop Alto valley
07	Recent erosion exposes Paleolithic lithics
08	Polop Alto valley
09	Sometimes survey conditions are challenging
10	Almuerzo
11	Back at the lab
12	A laptop in the field in 1991 - high tech
13	End
14	1991 field crew in Famorca
15	Famorca	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
16	Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Vall de Alcalá, Valencian Community, Spain
17	Alcalá valley
18	Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
19	This pot was NOT found on survey	39.466702˚ N, 0.36669999˚ W,	Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
20	A strategy session with Alcoi Museum staff	38.732059˚ N, 0.246393˚ W,	03813 Famorca, 03813 Famorca, Valencian Community, Spain
21	Our trusty field vehicle	38.695499˚ N, 0.47330001˚ W,	Alcoi/Alcoy, Valencian Community, Spain
22	Cultural sediments in the Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
23	Cultural sediments in the Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
24	Survey in the Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
25	Above the Gallinera valley	38.822224˚ N, 0.22222219˚ W,	val de gallinera, val de gallinera, Valencian Community, Spain
26	Gallinera valley	38.822224˚ N, 0.22222219˚ W,	val de gallinera, val de gallinera, Valencian Community, Spain
27	After comida	38.822224˚ N, 0.22222219˚ W,	val de gallinera, val de gallinera, Valencian Community, Spain
28	Buried cultural sediments in the Gallinera valley	38.822224˚ N, 0.222222˚ W,	val de gallinera, val de gallinera, Valencian Community, Spain
29	Pleistocene core in Gallinera valley	38.822224˚ N, 0.222222˚ W,	val de gallinera, val de gallinera, Valencian Community, Spain
30	Almuerzo. Joan Bernabeu & crew	38.695499˚ N, 0.47330001˚ W,	Alcoi/Alcoy, Valencian Community, Spain
31	Emili Aura	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
32	Historic ice house in the Alcalá valley	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
33	landscape taphonomy in the Polop Alto	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain
34	Analysis	38.794445˚ N, 0.25277799˚ W,	Valencian Community, Spain