Site: Vilavella del Castellet (Tremp, La Terreta, Pallars Jussà).
Campaigns: 2015 to present.
Directors: Walter Alegría, Marta Sancho, Júlia Coso, Sabina Batlle, Núria Artigas and Xavier Costa.
Description:
Villavella del Castellet is a rural medieval site. Although from an administrative point of view it is included in the municipality of Tremp, geographically it is part of the Ribagorça, and, more specifically, of the natural sub-region known as La Terreta.
The site has an approximate chronology between the X-XIV centuries and consists of a church and different habitat structures. These have been built using as raw materials the same blocks of the cliff on which it sits, sandstone slabs and earth mortar.
The archaeological work began in 2015 with an initial survey and several soundings to detect areas of archaeological interest. Subsequently, in 2016 and 2017 we proceeded to excavate various structures: a church and a possible habitat construction. In subsequent campaigns we have proceeded to the delimitation of the various structures that are part of the site to know how this habitat was organized urbanistically.
The work carried out so far allows us to interpret this site as a medieval livestock settlement.
The construction systems used to build the different structures would be very conditioned by the geographic and geological context; an adaptation to the environment characteristic of this type of habitat. In addition, it is a high-altitude settlement located in a strategic point within the transhumant network that links the high mountain pastures and the lowlands.
Be that as it may, it is still a little known site with a great archaeological potential that will have to be further investigated in the coming years.
