What We Have Done So Far
Our field research in the site started in 2019, and in these last four campaigns we have been able to excavate about 1,8 meters deep of an area of some 9 by 4 meters (30 by 14 feet) on the south side of the Silo's interior. We are working at some 5 meters below the ground level, and as you can easily imagine, it is a spectacular site and working here is an extremely singular experience.
We are still far from the structure's assumed depth of between 8 and 12 meters, and we anticipate work at the site for the next 5 years.
We are still far from the structure's assumed depth of between 8 and 12 meters, and we anticipate work at the site for the next 5 years.
In 2019 the work started with the removal of the remains accumulated on the surface of the site. These remains were of little archaeological interest as they belong to depositions of burials from many different periods, as we have confirmed the presence of modern 20th century remains but also from the Middle Ages. These osteological elements were removed from the site for easy access to the layers of more interest to our research. The remains will be returned to the Silo once our work is finished in a few years' time.
The use of the Silo as an ossuary means that the density of bones is astonishingly high. Besides an increasing number of articulated skeletons recovered in situ, during the 2019-2023 campaigns we exhumed and inventoried over 600,000 disarticulated bones and bone fragments. These bones are inventoried and checked for evidence of pathology and trauma. One of our goals is to establish a calculation of the MNI inside the Silo linked to the different chronological phases of its use throughout history. Considering the size of our project, we had to develop ad hoc methodologies to achieve this goal.
Besides human remains a number of other artefacts are being recovered that add to the interest of our project. So far we have found a large number of weapons, both medieval and post-medieval. Among the medieval weapons we have spearheads, but also a bec de corvin, or "raven's beak", a very impressive tool to pierce through medieval armor. The post-medieval weapons and artefacts are related to the Napoleonic Wars, which is understandable, as the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 campaigns have dealt with stratigraphy related to the early 19th and late 18th centuries, although in our last campaign we reached levels dated to the end of the 17th century. Musket balls, small cannon balls, flint for flintlock mechanisms, rifle bands, trigger mechanisms from Charleville muskets... these artefacts together with the remains from uniforms, both Spanish and French, confirm that many of the bodies exhumed to date have a connection with the conflicts of that period that had a great impact in Roncesvalles, where there was heavy fighting in 1793-95 during the Wars with Revolutionary France, and again in 1813 with the Battle of Roncesvalles and Wellington's offensive into France during the Napoleonic period.
The human remains found in anatomical position date from this period, and some can be directly connected with combatants. A pile of intermingled bodies right under the central, and until recently the only access to the Silo, seems to belong to a group of dead French soldiers, judging by the boots, ammunition and uniform buttons found with them. Other bodies can also be linked to soldiers, such as one Spanish soldier buried with his uniform (only the buttons survived), or a young individual with evidence of a trepanation in the skull, confirming the use of Roncesvalles as a hospital until recent times.
Other bodies belong to probably the poor and destitute that used to be taken care of in the institution, or even pilgrims on their way to Saint James in Compostela, as one of the bodies was found with a scallop shell, an object traditionally used to identify those in pilgrimage. Other objects of interest include exceptional finds such as medieval scultpures and other unique artefacts.
In 2024 our goal is to finally exhaust the exhumations of the 18th century and to continue digging into the lower levels of the Silo, hopefully reaching the medieval layers, where history becomes much more obscure in terms of historical records.
Besides human remains a number of other artefacts are being recovered that add to the interest of our project. So far we have found a large number of weapons, both medieval and post-medieval. Among the medieval weapons we have spearheads, but also a bec de corvin, or "raven's beak", a very impressive tool to pierce through medieval armor. The post-medieval weapons and artefacts are related to the Napoleonic Wars, which is understandable, as the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 campaigns have dealt with stratigraphy related to the early 19th and late 18th centuries, although in our last campaign we reached levels dated to the end of the 17th century. Musket balls, small cannon balls, flint for flintlock mechanisms, rifle bands, trigger mechanisms from Charleville muskets... these artefacts together with the remains from uniforms, both Spanish and French, confirm that many of the bodies exhumed to date have a connection with the conflicts of that period that had a great impact in Roncesvalles, where there was heavy fighting in 1793-95 during the Wars with Revolutionary France, and again in 1813 with the Battle of Roncesvalles and Wellington's offensive into France during the Napoleonic period.
The human remains found in anatomical position date from this period, and some can be directly connected with combatants. A pile of intermingled bodies right under the central, and until recently the only access to the Silo, seems to belong to a group of dead French soldiers, judging by the boots, ammunition and uniform buttons found with them. Other bodies can also be linked to soldiers, such as one Spanish soldier buried with his uniform (only the buttons survived), or a young individual with evidence of a trepanation in the skull, confirming the use of Roncesvalles as a hospital until recent times.
Other bodies belong to probably the poor and destitute that used to be taken care of in the institution, or even pilgrims on their way to Saint James in Compostela, as one of the bodies was found with a scallop shell, an object traditionally used to identify those in pilgrimage. Other objects of interest include exceptional finds such as medieval scultpures and other unique artefacts.
In 2024 our goal is to finally exhaust the exhumations of the 18th century and to continue digging into the lower levels of the Silo, hopefully reaching the medieval layers, where history becomes much more obscure in terms of historical records.