Students and cutting-edge technology come together to explore prehistory at the Cova dels Xaragalls (Vimbodí-Poblet)

The latest archaeological campaign at the Cova dels Xaragalls, located in Vimbodí-Poblet (Conca de Barberà), has combined advanced technology with university training to continue uncovering the prehistoric past of the region. The fieldwork, carried out between 13 and 31 October, focused on the central area of the chamber connected to Entrance B, where hundreds of human remains belonging to individuals of all ages have been recovered, along with ceramic fragments documenting the earliest uses of the cave.

The campaign was directed by Josep Vallverdú (IPHES-CERCA & Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Antonio Rodríguez-Hidalgo (IAM-CSIC) and Alfredo Suesta (IPHES-CERCA), and brought together around ten archaeologists, including undergraduate and Master’s students in Archaeology from the URV and UOC. Their participation provided them with practical experience in excavation, recording and material analysis—essential training that complements their academic learning.

Ivet Villadén, an undergraduate Archaeology student at the URV, explains: “For me, Xaragalls has been an experience that has allowed me to learn about the past and understand how archaeological excavations work by following a precise methodology that documents every discovery in detail. I’ve also had the chance to learn from outstanding professionals in prehistory.”

During this year’s campaign, topographic and digital documentation work begun in previous years was further consolidated, including the installation of fixed reference points and the creation of three-dimensional models of the cave through laser scanning. This work was carried out using equipment from the Laboratory of Non-Invasive Archaeology (MINARQLAB) of the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida (CSIC–Regional Government of Extremadura), thanks to collaboration between IPHES-CERCA and the IAM

In addition, a detailed examination of the cave walls and ceilings was undertaken in search of prehistoric paintings and engravings, taking advantage of the site’s proximity to the Cova de la Font Major, where an important ensemble of Palaeolithic rock art was recently documented. This line of research will be expanded in future campaigns to deepen the study of potential connections between both spaces.

According to Josep Vallverdú (IPHES-URV), “the cave is a natural archive that preserves environmental and cultural information from the last 40,000 years. Thanks to current analytical techniques and digital modelling, we can reconstruct with great precision the history of the human communities that inhabited this Mediterranean region.”

The Cova dels Xaragalls is divided into two large chambers: one containing Holocene deposits ranging from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age (between 5,000 and 1,000 years ago), with human remains and associated grave goods; and another with an Upper Pleistocene palaeontological deposit (more than 20,000 years old), which provides environmental information about the landscape before and during the Last Glacial Maximum.

The campaign received support from Museu Terra of the Carulla Foundation, where laboratory work was carried out—a strong example of collaboration between scientific research, territory and heritage conservation.

The intervention was made possible through authorisation from the Grans Muralles Estate (Família Torres) and the collaboration of the Poblet Natural Site of National Interest (PNIN) and Museu Terra of the Carulla Foundation. It forms part of the four-year research project “Palaeoenvironmental evolution and prehistoric settlement in the basins of the Francolí, Gaià and Siurana rivers and the streams of the Camp de Tarragona”, led by IPHES-CERCA and funded by the Government of Catalonia.