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Fig. 3.
The forum of Emporiae,
before and after the
restoration works.
in different periods had not always followed the same criteria. On
the other hand, certain areas and buildings exhumed during recent
years were not accessible on the itinerary of the visits to the forum
area (fig. 3).
The actions that have been carried out in the new project are diverse,
depending on the state of the archaeological remains and of the desire
to prioritise understanding of determined buildings or historic
periods (Aquilué, Monturiol [eds.], 2004). The project developed
a programme of dissemination and museological preservation that
aims to reinforce and improve the understanding of the urban structures
of ancient Empúries by the visiting public (Aquilué, Castanyer,
Santos, Tremoleda, 2006, p. 19-31). The main objectives were:
A) To conserve and preserve all the original elements that made
up the forum, whether through their protection, consolidation or
restoration in situ, or through moving them into the Museum rooms.
B) To totally or partially restore certain archaeological remains to
help and improve understanding by the visiting public. These actions
were based, on the one hand, on technical criteria that had
previously been set for consolidating, restoring and adapting the
archaeological remains (materials to be used, finishes, etc.) and,
on the other hand, on museographical criteria established by the
Museum (historical phases that it is intended to explain, etc.). The
project particularly insists on the need to recover the elevations of the
original levels of the period, so that visitors can soon get to know and
differentiate the various areas and buildings of which the forum was
made up: square, ambulacrum, curia, basilica, tabernae, religious
area, etc. (fig. 2).
C) To adapt and condition the forum in keeping with the historic
relevance of this sector which, at the same time, serves to illustrate
the general evolution of the Roman city of Empúries.
The proposal aims to deal with the old problems of access and route,
taking into account the needs of the flow of visitors, as well as incorporating
the new buildings discovered in the recent archaeological
interventions into the circuit. With regard to the museographical
adaptation, several levels of information have been established: general
information panels, specific signage and interpretation centres.
All the signage and multimedia supports are fully integrated into the
architectural adaptation project.
Finally, the project includes several actions (lighting system, etc.)
aimed at potentiating the use of this space for additional activities
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