More than 350 people take part in the open day at the La Boella site

The archaeopaleontological site of Barranc de La Boella, in La Canonja (Tarragonès), opened its doors last Saturday to show the public what lies hidden in one of the ravines with the most prehistoric secrets in Europe. The open day was a great success, with more than 350 attendees, mainly families with children but also enthusiasts and people interested in learning first-hand about the research being carried out there.

Throughout the day, several guided tours were organised at the main points of the site, where visitors were able to discover how humans lived more than one million years ago and what kind of fauna inhabited the lands of Camp de Tarragona. La Boella is internationally known for the remains of large mammals (such as mammoths and saber-toothed cats) and for the stone tools that testify to human presence in the Iberian Peninsula nearly one million years ago.

The day also included an educational archaeology workshop for children, led by Andrea Alías, socialisation technician at IPHES-CERCA, which allowed the youngest visitors to experience the work of archaeologists in practice and to understand the importance of scientific research.

Many visitors also took the opportunity to visit the newly inaugurated Mammuthus Space, located at Hort del Mas de l’Abeurador. This exhibition facility allows the public to see up close some of the most important original remains recovered at La Boella in recent years, and stands as an ideal complement to understand the heritage and scientific value of this site.

These outreach activities aim to bring scientific knowledge closer to citizens and to raise awareness of a place as relevant in prehistory as La Boella. The site, which is gaining importance and generating more research every year, is thus consolidated as an international reference point thanks to public initiatives such as this one.

As stated by the councillor for culture, science and knowledge, Salvador Ferré: “We are very pleased with the interest aroused by the archaeological site of La Boella, and we see that it is increasing every year. In addition, we have now added the option of visiting the Mammuthus Space, in La Canonja, which houses the main discoveries and the results of previous excavation campaigns at the site.”

IPHES-CERCA trusts that the launch of the Mammuthus Space will mark a turning point in the enhancement of the findings from La Boella, with the aim of generating synergies between this new centre and the site in order to boost both research and dissemination.

The research work at the Barranc de La Boella site is supported financially and logistically by the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia and the La Canonja City Council.