The Andalusian Centre for Iberian Archaeology (CAAI)
was founded in 1998 in the framework of the II Research
Programme of the Regional Council ( II Plan Andaluz
de Investigación ), following the agreement between
the regional Education and Science Authority ( Consejería
de Educación y Ciencia de la Junta de Andalucía ) and
the University of Jaén. In April 2003, a new agreement
was signed by the above institutions for further development
of the Centre. Its objectives and specific aims were defined
as follows:
- The archaeology of the Iberians: For deeper knowledge
of the history of Andalusia.
- Historiography of Iberian culture: For further development
of Andalusian identity.
- Landscape archaeology: For better practice in archaeological
methodology. Emphasis is to be placed on the development
of strategies for reconstruction of palaeolandscape and
its anthropic transformation based on environmental remains,
physico-chemical research and new technologies for archaeological
surveying.
- Management of archaeological Iberian heritage: For
protection, research, preservation and dissemination
strategies. These strategies must ensure knowledge transfer
to the society of Andalusia.
At present, the Centre's staff consists of 16 researchers
as follows: 9 university faculty, 5 PhD students/research
assistants, 2 contracted researchers and 2 administrative
and technical support staff. CAAI is partner among others
in EPOCH (VI Framework Programme) and in the AREA IV-project
(Culture 2000) and coordinator of CATA (HUM 890, Excellence
Project of Andalusian Goverment).
The Centro Andaluz de Arqueología Ibérica in Jaén (ES) has
begun for this new AREA phase to focus on the ways the archaeological heritage
has been used by the political power for the implementation of legitimation
programs. We have chosen a crucial time frame for the history of Spain: the
first years of Franco's Dictatorship, from the end of the Civil War until the
50s. The study of archaeological management, archaeological methodology, the
main scientific groups and institutions in charge, as well as the strategies
used to display and exhibit the archaeological heritage, will all make it possible
to better understand the seizure of the archaeological past by Franco's regime.
Vital for the project is the study of contemporary documents and archives generated
by archaeological activities, such as those kept in the Archivo General de
la Administración or in the Archivo Gómez-Moreno. Our work will reach out beyond
the Spanish frame of reference to try and establish common patterns and ways
of action with other European dictatorships; this will be done through the
AREA research group 'Archaeology and Dictatorships', a collaborative work which
should yield a better comparative understanding of the political use of Archaeology.
