Valorisation of the site
In 1999, the Government of Navarre began to look into the possibility of declaring the ‘Iron Age village of Las Eretas in Berbinzana’ a Site of Cultural Interest in the category of Archaeological Area by means of a Navarrese Order published on June 14 of the same year in the Official Gazette of Navarre, subsequently recording its legal protection in the Registry of the Ministry of Culture as a preventative measure.
When the archaeological field investigation had been completed, Berbinzana Local Council commissioned a ‘Project for the Musealisation and Valorisation of the Archaeological Site of Las Eretas’ in 1998 which, broadly speaking, envisaged actions in two different phases or lines of work: a first stage in which work was to be performed on the visible ruins of the protohistoric village and the surrounding area; and a second stage in which it was to be endowed with greater social and educational content through the creation of an adjoining museum focusing on the site and Iron Age culture in the Alto Ebro district. A company specialised in tourism was commissioned to conduct a feasibility study of the planned actions and its verdict was favourable. The first phase was executed in two clearly differentiated spaces: first (1998), a river park with jetty and picnic area was created on the land between the archaeological site and the Arga river, and then (2000-2001), work was performed on the ruins of the settlement, completely draining the land, installing superficial urban infrastructure, controlling runoff, consolidating the ruins (dwellings, defensive wall, street and towers) and fitting security fencing around both the excavated area and the part which remains intact, which is likely to be the subject of archaeological study in the future.
A tour route was also designed through the different parts and remains of the settlement along paths and on walkways dotted with information panels briefly explaining everything. Following the example of experimental research and as an educational measure through which the general public can interpret the historical reality of the past, one of the houses in the village and the stretch of tower wall against which it was built were reconstructed in situ. This work was carried out simulating the same building techniques as those applied at the site 2,500 years ago and using the elements and materials that the archaeological study of the site recommended, but always taking precautions not to erase the original archaeological remains and meeting the indispensable requisite that none of the work performed should be irreversible.
