The International Seminar on Romano-Hellenistic Ports of the Western Mediterranean ends

With the organization of the Municipal Institute of Culture "Joaquín Chapaprieta", in close relationship with the University Venue of the University of Alicante and the newcomer to the town of Torrevieja from the UNED, this first international seminar has been held in which presented different port structures and their importance in terms of international trade and the cultural repercussions that this has had on the indigenous peoples linked to these ports.

During the three days that the congress has lasted, there have been the interventions of university and archaeological professionals who have presented the hypotheses that emerged after the study of their respective work groups in the cities of Malaca, Cartagena, Pollentia, in Mallorca, Ibiza, Tossal de Manises and Lucentum (Alicante), Tarraco, Ampurias, Nora, in Sardinia, Ancona, in the Adriatic or the region of Apulia, in southern Italy.

With the presentation of these works, together with the presentation of the award-winning documentary on the Bou Ferrer wreck, sunk off the coast of Villajoyosa, the idea of the important commercial network that existed in the western Mediterranean between the Iberian Peninsula and the Italica, with the importance of the large islands that acted as a midway point.

For this, great professionals have been involved, leaders in their respective fields, such as the professor of the University of Malaga Bartolomé Mora, the professor Sebastián F. Ramallo, of the University of Murcia, Esther Chávez, professor of the University of La Laguna , Marcus Hermans, Ibiza underwater archeology researcher and heritage management expert, José Ramón Ortega, archaeologist and manager of ARPA Heritage, Moisés Diaz from ICAC, Joaquim Tremoleda and Pere Castanyer, professionals from the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya, Carlo de Mitri, independent ricertatore.

The UA professor and director of the UA headquarters in Villajoyosa, José Antonio Moya, also took part as director of the Bou Ferrer documentary, and the works of the universities of Cagliari and Firenze were presented. All this orchestrated by the direction of UNED professor Antonio Manuel Poveda.

This seminar has been for the Municipal Institute of Culture, in the words of the Councilor for Culture, José Antonio Quesada, "an enormous qualitative leap in the field of research and academics." He also commented that "this international congress has placed the name of Torrevieja in European informative circles as a great promoter of research on historic ports and their connection with our lands since ancient times", to conclude by indicating that "Torrevieja was born under the of the sea, and as such had the obligation to bring a seminar of these qualitative and thematic characteristics that talks about our origins”.