Silvia González Soutelo
I graduated in History from the USC, with a Bachelor's Degree Thesis, and was awarded the Extraordinary Bachelor's Degree Prize, as well as the 10th Ferro Couselo Research Prize. For the development of my training and as a pre-doctoral researcher, I was a collaboration grant holder of the MEC at the USC; of the Xunta de Galicia for doctoral courses; and FPU grant holder, as well as obtaining complementary grants for training stays in Barcelona, Paris (within the FPU calls), Rome and England.
I am also graduated in Archaeology at the University of Barcelona (UB) and obtained my PhD at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), where I was awarded the Extraordinary Doctorate Prize.
For my postdoctoral research I obtained a Juan de la Cierva contract from the MICINN at the UAB, attached to several MICINN R&D projects and as a member of the International Group of Excellence (2009 SGR 1087).
During these years I have collaborated in international and national archaeological projects on hydraulic infrastructures in Roman times (with the CNRS in Ambrussum, France; l'École Françoise de Rome in Ostia, Rome; l'Université de Lausanne in Orbe-Bosceaz, Switzerland; Roman villa of Piddington, England; and with Spanish universities in Zaragoza, Lugo, Ourense or Fortuna, etc); in competitive national projects (MICINN or Seneca Foundation) and in European interdisciplinary R&D projects (TERMARED and CROSSCULT); as well as in applied research projects with local entities and companies.
For my training in this field, I have carried out research stays thanks to several grants in prestigious international centres in Paris (AOROC, ENS); Barcelona (UB); Rome (École Française de Rome and Spanish School of Rome), Aix-en-Provence (CNRS-IRAA), Lisbon (UArq), or Oxford (Institute of Archaeology) -where I am a scholar visiting in the Wolfson College-.
Author and coordinator of 12 books and more than 50 articles/book chapters, in reference publications and, in many cases, as main author; I have participated in national and international congresses and seminars, many of them as guest speaker (England; Germany; Cyprus; Italy; France; Portugal; Hungary; or Spain, among others), as well as scientific advisor of associations, exhibitions and meetings, also taking part in the direction and organisation of congresses of diverse projection on this subject.
In the field of teaching experience, I have taught at USC, UAB, UVIGO -GEAAT-, and UAM (accredited by ANECA for the position of Full Professor since 2014) and as a guest specialist in national summer courses, doctoral courses, master's courses and seminars.
Currently, I am a Permanent Labour Professor (PPL) at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and in this institution, I coordinate the Consolidated Research Group ARCHAEONAT; I am the UAM PI in the European project H2020 rurAllure (2021-23); PI of the PIPA on the Termas de Sao Vicente Roman spa (Penafiel, Portugal); PI of the Healing spas in Antiquity project (www.healingspasinantiquity.es) and PI of the MICINN R&D&I project: THERMASCAPE. The thermal landscape in Hispania. The role of thermal resources in the Iberian Peninsula since Roman times (PID2022-138809NB-I00).
I am also graduated in Archaeology at the University of Barcelona (UB) and obtained my PhD at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), where I was awarded the Extraordinary Doctorate Prize.
For my postdoctoral research I obtained a Juan de la Cierva contract from the MICINN at the UAB, attached to several MICINN R&D projects and as a member of the International Group of Excellence (2009 SGR 1087).
During these years I have collaborated in international and national archaeological projects on hydraulic infrastructures in Roman times (with the CNRS in Ambrussum, France; l'École Françoise de Rome in Ostia, Rome; l'Université de Lausanne in Orbe-Bosceaz, Switzerland; Roman villa of Piddington, England; and with Spanish universities in Zaragoza, Lugo, Ourense or Fortuna, etc); in competitive national projects (MICINN or Seneca Foundation) and in European interdisciplinary R&D projects (TERMARED and CROSSCULT); as well as in applied research projects with local entities and companies.
For my training in this field, I have carried out research stays thanks to several grants in prestigious international centres in Paris (AOROC, ENS); Barcelona (UB); Rome (École Française de Rome and Spanish School of Rome), Aix-en-Provence (CNRS-IRAA), Lisbon (UArq), or Oxford (Institute of Archaeology) -where I am a scholar visiting in the Wolfson College-.
Author and coordinator of 12 books and more than 50 articles/book chapters, in reference publications and, in many cases, as main author; I have participated in national and international congresses and seminars, many of them as guest speaker (England; Germany; Cyprus; Italy; France; Portugal; Hungary; or Spain, among others), as well as scientific advisor of associations, exhibitions and meetings, also taking part in the direction and organisation of congresses of diverse projection on this subject.
In the field of teaching experience, I have taught at USC, UAB, UVIGO -GEAAT-, and UAM (accredited by ANECA for the position of Full Professor since 2014) and as a guest specialist in national summer courses, doctoral courses, master's courses and seminars.
Currently, I am a Permanent Labour Professor (PPL) at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, and in this institution, I coordinate the Consolidated Research Group ARCHAEONAT; I am the UAM PI in the European project H2020 rurAllure (2021-23); PI of the PIPA on the Termas de Sao Vicente Roman spa (Penafiel, Portugal); PI of the Healing spas in Antiquity project (www.healingspasinantiquity.es) and PI of the MICINN R&D&I project: THERMASCAPE. The thermal landscape in Hispania. The role of thermal resources in the Iberian Peninsula since Roman times (PID2022-138809NB-I00).
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Books by Silvia González Soutelo
This book is focused on the role of thermal establishments with mineral-medicinal waters in the different territories of the Roman Empire, including their symbiosis with the landscape as well as the ways in which their construction was adapted to give greater comfort to those who came to take advantage of their health-giving properties.
Obviously, it is not a closed or definitive cathalogue, as well as we consider that new studies and future archaeological digs will allow us to complete it, but it can be an aissement of the current state of affairs of this study in the Iberian Peninsula
Papers by Silvia González Soutelo
Because of the problems posed by the collection of these waters, Roman engineers sought different technical solutions for the use of these valuable natural resources. Different examples have been documented that we can analyse and interpret, individually and as a complete typology, based on the brief descriptions presented of these findings.
From studies carried out in the western regions of the Roman Empire (González Soutelo 2015; González Soutelo and Ramón Sánchez 2016; Ghedini et al. 2018; Marcato 2017; Ramón Sánchez and González Soutelo 2019), we present an analysis of some of the best examples from the
provinces of Roman Gaul, including comparative proposals based on selected cases from Iberian and Italian territories.
Thanks to this study, it has been possible to identify a type of construction solution based on slabs of opus caementicium used for the capture and isolation of thermal springs. The first step for the engineers was to prepare the ground out of which the thermomineral waters gushed, to the level of the bedrock; the flow was then channelled with formwork and conductions according to the design of the establishment and topography; lastly, concrete layers were laid over the sites to ensure, inter alia, firm ground for subsequent constructions, the isolation of thermal and mineral springs from other surface water, and the elevation of constructions to levels that would protect them from local rivers and possible flooding in those areas closest to streams.
With this new study we have been able to recognise some specific characteristics of these water collection methods and their uses, clearly demonstrating their technical complexities and the economic and political implications linked to the construction of this type of thermal establishment.
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Frente a la temática general de este volumen, presentamos un estado de la cuestión sobre el estudio de los edificios de baños de aguas mineromedicinales en la península ibérica, a partir de una revisión de la historiografía sobre el tema y la inclusión de la bibliografía más actualizada. Tomando como punto de partida una selección de los balnearios romanos mejor conservados y/o documentados, incidiremos en las novedades y en las principales características de estos edificios creados para aprovechar las virtudes salutíferas de los manantiales de aguas mineromedicinales; incidiremos en la problemática de su identificación y caracterización; y presentaremos el estado más reciente de la investigación en estos enclaves, mostrando las propuestas
de estudio que se abren a partir de una reflexión conjunta de los aspectos asociados al termalismo romano.
This book is focused on the role of thermal establishments with mineral-medicinal waters in the different territories of the Roman Empire, including their symbiosis with the landscape as well as the ways in which their construction was adapted to give greater comfort to those who came to take advantage of their health-giving properties.
Obviously, it is not a closed or definitive cathalogue, as well as we consider that new studies and future archaeological digs will allow us to complete it, but it can be an aissement of the current state of affairs of this study in the Iberian Peninsula
Because of the problems posed by the collection of these waters, Roman engineers sought different technical solutions for the use of these valuable natural resources. Different examples have been documented that we can analyse and interpret, individually and as a complete typology, based on the brief descriptions presented of these findings.
From studies carried out in the western regions of the Roman Empire (González Soutelo 2015; González Soutelo and Ramón Sánchez 2016; Ghedini et al. 2018; Marcato 2017; Ramón Sánchez and González Soutelo 2019), we present an analysis of some of the best examples from the
provinces of Roman Gaul, including comparative proposals based on selected cases from Iberian and Italian territories.
Thanks to this study, it has been possible to identify a type of construction solution based on slabs of opus caementicium used for the capture and isolation of thermal springs. The first step for the engineers was to prepare the ground out of which the thermomineral waters gushed, to the level of the bedrock; the flow was then channelled with formwork and conductions according to the design of the establishment and topography; lastly, concrete layers were laid over the sites to ensure, inter alia, firm ground for subsequent constructions, the isolation of thermal and mineral springs from other surface water, and the elevation of constructions to levels that would protect them from local rivers and possible flooding in those areas closest to streams.
With this new study we have been able to recognise some specific characteristics of these water collection methods and their uses, clearly demonstrating their technical complexities and the economic and political implications linked to the construction of this type of thermal establishment.
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Frente a la temática general de este volumen, presentamos un estado de la cuestión sobre el estudio de los edificios de baños de aguas mineromedicinales en la península ibérica, a partir de una revisión de la historiografía sobre el tema y la inclusión de la bibliografía más actualizada. Tomando como punto de partida una selección de los balnearios romanos mejor conservados y/o documentados, incidiremos en las novedades y en las principales características de estos edificios creados para aprovechar las virtudes salutíferas de los manantiales de aguas mineromedicinales; incidiremos en la problemática de su identificación y caracterización; y presentaremos el estado más reciente de la investigación en estos enclaves, mostrando las propuestas
de estudio que se abren a partir de una reflexión conjunta de los aspectos asociados al termalismo romano.
Conscientes de esa realidad, en el marco del proyecto de investigación I+D+i “La explotación y comercio de los recursos naturales en el norte de la Hispania romana: lapis, metalla, aqua (HAR2011-25011)”, hemos planteado la necesidad de revisar dichos materiales desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar para establecer qué materiales lapídeos (mármoles u otras rocas ornamentales) se emplearon en este territorio, a qué uso se destinaron y la posible adscripción cronológica de su explotación y presencia en el NW hispano.
Uno de los primeros aspectos que se difieren de dicha caracterización es la presencia, junto con un significativo número de material marmóreo importado, de un mármol autóctono, el mármol de O Incio, que no ha sido aún objeto de un estudio exhaustivo.
Es por ello que hemos centrado nuestra atención en este material; para conocer su naturaleza, explotación, empleo y difusión dentro de Hispania a partir de un proyecto que se encuentra en sus fases más iniciales y que presentamos en esta contribución. Para ello, hemos localizado y muestreado las canteras y, paralelamente, seleccionado y muestreado un número de piezas de especial importancia en el contexto de la Galicia romana . Las analíticas aplicadas (petrografía, catodoluminiscencia, difracción de rayos-X) nos permitirán poner en relación el punto de extracción de esta materia prima con aquellos objetos en los que se empleó, e igualmente se procederá al estudio de los frentes de extracción (para entender las técnicas y estrategias de extracción aplicadas) y a la revisión artística de cada pieza (de fundamental importancia para establecer su cronología y aspectos técnico-estilísticos).
Todo ello permitirá, además de una adecuada caracterización del mármol de O Incio, identificar talleres locales o foráneos que pudieran haber trabajado con dicho material y constatar la dispersión territorial de su producción, aspectos indispensables para reconocer la importancia económica, social y funcional de la explotación de este recurso natural dentro del contexto del NW de Hispania.
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The work presented here is part of an ongoing project and stems from the fact that a significant number of a first marble objects assemblage did not match the features of the main well-known Classical marbles but seemed to have been produced with a local stone known as O Incio marble which had not been yet characterized. Therefore, we focused on sampling of the quarries near the small village of O Incio to identify and adequately characterize the different outcropping marble varieties as the first and basic step to correctly differentiate from other Spanish or even Mediterranean marbles.
Petrography, cathodoluminiscence CL and, in some cases, IRMS for C-O isotopic determination were applied and enabled to distinguish at least three significant varieties: a) a poorly crystalline banded fine-grained marble or marble limestone, with fine white and gray bands of varying tone or shade (it is the most abundant variety), b) a fine-grained white marble with thin, orange veins and occasional centimetric gray bands, and c) a greyish "marble", which in fact is a gray, crystalline limestone with gray sheets of different tones. Furthermore, eight out of the nineteen objects analyzed so far turned out to match these varieties; their distribution in through the territory gives a first glimpse of this marble diffusion, which to this point reaches as far as 130km from the outcrop.
The high presence of O Incio marble in the archaeological context and its wide chronology (between 2nd and 7th centuries AD) confirm a long life of this marble extraction and use, which in some cases may be related to its slight resemblance to other, more prized marbles (i.e. grey, banded marbles from the Eastern Mediterranean or banded varieties of Estremoz). The archaeometric characterization provides the essential basis upon which pursue further research.
In this paper, we aim to address the reasons behind the choice of marble as raw material both for the production or the import of certain Roman and late-Roman productions, since recent archaeometrical analysis showed that both local and exotic marbles flown into Roman Galicia, as well as of the subsequent reuse of these materials in the early medieval period. We will, therefore, explore the economic, logistic and symbolic aspects of their use while taking also into account, in the case of the spolia, the context in which they were salvaged and recycled.
En la presente comunicación expondremos los resultados de la caracterización multi-método y jerarquizada (“paso a paso”) del mármol de estas canteras, combinando las aportaciones de los métodos ya clásicos en este tipo de trabajos (estudio petrográfico, catodoluminiscencia, SEM-EDS, espectrometría de masas de los isótopos estables del carbono y del oxígeno, difracción de rayos X) con técnicas poco empleadas (colorimetría, ICP-AOS, tratamiento de imágenes petrográficas).
In this paper, we present some specific cases as illustrative among which those of the columns, capitals, altars and sarcophagi at Santa Comba de Bande (Ourense) stands out. A comprehensive approach including their arhcaeometric characterization (i.e. petrography, cathodoluminiscence and, in some cases, IRMS for C-O isotopic determination) as well as the stylistic study is proposed to understand when and how these objects were carved, and how did they arrived at their current location.
Aware of this reality, we addressed the characterization of such materials as a fist and essential step to establish what stones (marble or other ornamental rocks) were used in this territory, to what purpose they were intended and the dating of their exploitation and/or presence in Gallaecia. A multimethod approach was performed on the samples, including petrography (POM), cathodoluminiscence (CL) and, in some cases, IRMS for C-O isotopic determination. The results so far, and even in this initial stage of the study, show a picture much more complex than it could be anticipated: the exploitation of local marmora emerges as a key factor, but there are also some foreign materials, both from other regions of Spain as well as the central Mediterranean (Italy).
Therefore, to locate the source and to perform the archaeometric characterization of these marbles became another main goal. Among them, the local stone known as O Incio marble was the first one to be approached since its very particular appearance (it is a white/grey, fine-grained, banded marble) strongly suggested it was the raw material of some of the objects in study and the fact that it had been in use until recently. Nevertheless, another group of white, coarse-grained marble remained unidentified and thus other marble outcrops on the territory were surveyed (areas of Mondoñedo, Sarria, O Caurel and Portomarín) to gather first-hand data and samples.
The work presented here is part of an ongoing project in which the use of multimethod analysis (POM, CL and IRMS for C-O isotopic determination) is applied to identify and adequately characterize the different outcropping marble varieties as the first and basic step to correctly differentiate from other Spanish or even Mediterranean marbles. The results so far, and even in this initial stage of the study, show a picture much more complex than anticipated: next to some foreign materials, both from other regions of Spain as well as the central Mediterranean (Italy), O Incio marble was rather used in this territory but it was not the only local marble variety exploited by the Romans. The archaeometric study provides the essential basis upon which pursue further research.
1901. The ruins were preserved by the owner of the spa under construction and since that time open to the public, who also had the exceptional monograph published in 1902 by José Fortes, the archaeologist who accompanied the work.
More than a century later, new knowledge about Roman thermalism, history and archeology of the southern territory of Callaecia came to underline outstanding interpretation problems, which an approach with new methodology and technical resources will try to clarify, whenever possible using innovative and minimally intrusive techniques.
right of all individuals to partake in the cultural life of their communities, which entails ensuring that heritage sites remain accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical, cognitive or sensory abilities.
To achieve this, the ‘rurAllure’ project has been initiated to promote and disseminate the cultural and natural heritage along this pilgrimage route in an inclusive manner. This paper reviews the existing resources regarding accessibility in the Italian segment of the Via Francigena, comparing them to initiatives undertaken on other European Cultural Routes. This serves as an initial step to comprehend the measures required to guarantee that everyone can fully engage with and comprehend these cultural experiences. The analysis revealed that most of the limited accessibility efforts along this route have primarily focused on physical accessibility. Regrettably, cognitive and sensory accessibility has received considerably less attention. In this context, this paper proposes the thermal heritage located along the Val d’Orcia section in Tuscany, Italy, as particularly promising for the development of accessible experiences due to its tactile characteristics. The future efforts to enhance accessibility along this route should consider approaches like Universal Design for Learning and the geography of perception to create resources and new experiences that cater to a wide range of individuals.
Obviously, it is not a closed or definitive cathalogue, as well as we consider that new studies and future archaeological digs will allow us to complete it, but it can be an aissement of the current state of affairs of this study in the Iberian Peninsula.
We will have very different presentations, of some very variated areas of the Ancient Roman Empire: Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain or North of Africa, so we are sure we will enjoy these two days learning and sharing our knowledge about mineral-medicinal Waters in Antiquity.
In order to facilite the comunication among the different participants, the conference language will be English. For some of them who wants to participate online, please, register you in the webpage of the event.
All the information that you can need is in the Congress webpage
https://eventos.uam.es/88590/detail/3rd-international-congress-on-ancient-thermalism-thermal-spas-and-territory-the-role-of-mineral-med.html
And in the web: www.healingspasinantiquity.es
After the 1st International workshop Roman Baths and Thermo-mineral Baths in Urban and (Micro) Regional Perspectives (Kiel 2021); and the 2nd International Workshop Roman Baths and Thermo-mineral Baths: an update on the present state of research (Bern, 2022), we are pleased to inform you that we are already working on the organization of the 3rd International Thermal Congress that will take place in Madrid (Spain) in 9-10th March 2023.
For this 3rd workshop, we propose to put the focus on questions about thermal spas and territory, including different subjects:
-Healing spas adapted to topographical and geological local conditions. Constructive solutions to different issues.
-Architectonical and functional characteristics of thermal spas: the use of local and foreign materials and technical knowledge
-The role of bathing establishments in the different territories
- Healing spas and ancient roads. Pilgrims and visitors on thermal sites
As in the previous meetings, the idea is to reinforce a network for the exchange of experiences and ideas related to the study of Ancient spas, focused on the Roman bath establishments with mineral-medicinal waters. The goal will be to create a forum of discussion about Roman Thermalism, adopting a mixed format onsite and online.
The best proposals will be suggested to be published in a high-level scientific publication with peer review.
Las excavaciones arqueológicas en la villa romana de Los Torrejones están permitiendo documentar un gran conjunto arquitectónico, con diversas estancias estructuradas en torno a un peristilo porticado con lacus central. El programa ornamental (pictórico, revestimientos marmóreos, escultórico…) es de una extraordinaria riqueza y calidad, revelando el uso de marmora de elevada calidad y prestigio procedentes de diversas canteras distribuidas por el Mediterráneo y la propia Hispania. Destaca el hallazgo en 2014 de un magnífico retrato del emperador Adriano, del tipo Rollockenfrisur y labrado en mármol de Göktepe (Turquía), que fue presentado en la VIII Reunión de Córdoba. La riqueza arqueológica de este enclave y la calidad de su material escultórico llevó al Museo Arqueológico de Yecla a proponer la ciudad como sede de la IX Reunión.
Siguiendo una tradición ya consolidada, la IX Reunión se concibe como un foro científico en que diversos especialistas expongan y discutan, bajo el formato de ponencias, las novedades, avances y nuevas propuestas en el campo de la escultura hispanorromana, al objeto de ampliar el corpus de materiales conocidos y posibilitar su inserción en el correspondiente discurso histórico. Se establece asimismo una sesión de comunicaciones en formato de póster, al objeto de que los investigadores que lo deseen puedan dar a conocer novedades y nuevas propuestas concernientes a la escultura romana de Hispania.
Este foro, que concitará la reunión de una pléyade de expertos nacionales e internacionales, enriquecerá notablemente el debate científico entre especialistas, propiciará a los estudiantes universitarios un excelente marco de formación y aprendizaje, y contribuirá a afianzar el desarrollo de la Arqueología Clásica y de los estudios sobre escultura clásica hispana, propiciando de forma particular al desarrollo del proyecto Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani-España que tan notables resultados ha dando en las dos últimas décadas.
the same facts from diverse points of view. After querying a knowledge base that brings together several Linked Data resources, the associations are curated by the experts using a dedicated tool,
to ensure that only meaningful associations appear on the mobile app. In turn, the app users can contribute new associations in the form of written text, which the experts can turn into new concepts and properties in the knowledge base. Here, we present the design of the mobile app and the experts’ tool, together with the results of early experiments aimed at assessing the instructional value of the proposal.
By Abdullah Daif, Ahmed Dahroug, Martín López-Nores, Silvia González-Soutelo, Maddalena Bassani, Angeliki Antoniou, Alberto Gil-Solla, Manuel Ramos-Cabrer, José J. Pazos-Arias.
historical phenomena and the creation of meaning.
By Kalliopi Kontiza, Angeliki Antoniou, Abdullah Daif, Susana Reboreda-Morillo, Maddalena Bassani, Silvia Gonzalez-Soutelo, Joseph Padfield, Ioanna Lykourentzou, Catherine Emma Jones, Martín Lopez Nores.
By Martín López-Nores, Omar Gustavo Bravo-Quezada, Maddalena Bassani, Angeliki Antoniou, Ioanna Lykourentzou, Catherine Emma Jones, Kalliopi Kontiza, Silvia González-Soutelo, Susana Reboreda-Morillo, Yannick Naudet, Andreas Vlachidis, Antonis Bikakis and José Juan Pazos-Arias