Northvegr - Iberic Bibliography (English)

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Iberic Bibliography (English)

-7-

PIERRE PARIS

        "From Amarejo, in 1898, I transferred to Meca, with the help of Don Pascual Serrano, who has shown me at his museum of funereal urns, among other things, one roman lamp and other objects whose procedence indicate from there much better known that the one at Cerro de Bonete. Cean Bermudez, in it's "Summary of roman antiquities in Spain" tells us about the village in Almansa, city of the Kingdom of Murcia, in Villena, that belonged to the region of Bastitana, not knowing it's name. Then it was rebuildt by the Moors, and accordingly named it Meca. This is without doubt a mistake. There is, about half hour distance from Almansa, north of the city and to the right of Valencia and left of the railway, close to the -Molino de las Monjas- "Nun's Mill", a succession of meadows that clearly indicates the establishment of an ibero-roman civilization, maybe Ad-Aras. I've seen many fragments of common crockery, without drawings or embelishments, just lines and inlays of the same red clay. Don Niceto Cuenca professor of the Instituto of Alicante - "Institute of Alicante" has pointed this out to me and he, being an enthusiastic and interested in the archeology of Almansa, does not remember the name Meca and its close relation to any village, nor the place called Molino de las Monjas. Furthermore, Cean Bermudes gives an explanation of his error. He writes a few lines about it, and the translation is as follows:
        Meca: link that separates the Kingdom of Murcia from Valencia, extending from North to South and developing towards the West to make what is known as "El Mugron de Almansa". It preserves the remains of what was a patch or ditch starting about a third from the base of the mountain and follows toward the summit . This road has 400 yards in length and more than 12 in length of which more than 10 are through the rock. In the highest part there are remains of an ancient city, 40 cisterns of stones, the longest measures more than 30 feet and the smallest 20, many ruins, edged stones and fragmented walls that make sort of a street over an extension of 1/4 of a league or 1 1/2 mile. Among these ruins there are fragments of crockery, decanters, and plates made of a fine red clay, shiny and hard, painted in different colors, embelished with drawings and also, roman and celtiberic coins.
        This time, the reports of Cean Bermudez are concise, except on the topic regarding the ruins described and that still carry the name of Meca, located in the chain of the Ayora and not in the Mugron de Almansa, which is separated from the preceding chain due to a deep hollow that runs parallell to the railroad from Chincilla to Almansa; and a running brook that feeds water for the latest town.
        In February of 1891, Don Arturo Engel, visited the region of Almansa to take stock of the antiquities of the Cerro de los Santos, he went to the Castellar de Mecca. "It is, he said, of difficult access and a guide is needed. From the top of the acropolis, the view is admirable that reminds the ones at the Pouille, of Lucerna, from certain spots, for example: extensive plains at our feet, and far off, our guide points to a circular rock that show some signs edged on it. Could it be some prehistoric monument? Around us there are notable traces of an ancient civilization, the square, streets, houses and more than one hundred cisterns, big and small, edged in the stone, closed in some places, and a place for excavations . Went down through a deep ditch cut in the stone. (A. Engel, Report about an archeological mission in Spain. New archive of missions, III, 1892, pag. 183. 75 of the printing edition.
        This reports, as well as seeing some objects brought by Don Pascual Serrano, made me decide to make the trip. I have no regrets, and neither of the time spent of about half a week that I did in August 1899. There is no way to envisage more savage and colorful ruins than those of Meca. After more than three hours of going thru difficult labyrinthian-like roads , we reached the border of the big blazing plain of Alpera, next to the gigantic and fantastic rock cut by pickaxes that supported the city . (Railroad station between Bonete and Almansa, big town, clean and rich, where there are many memories for the traveler. Cean Bermudez, Summary of the roman antiquities in Spain, page 48, states there are remains of old stonewalls and the remains of a fortress where coins have been found. There is no trace presently of any ruins in Alpera.)
        Then we climbed serpentlike, the steep slope, among the rubble, until we reached the deep Gruta del Rey Moro (Grotto of the Moor King) and also the grotto of the Frenchies (this name was given because my guide and companion, Mr. Pierre Wals and myself, set up camp there).
        Then, we climbed those rocks that have steps edged in it, that lead to the big plain at the top. (during the day, it can be accessed easily through a stepladder that have been ordered by the owners of those ruins. Note of J. ZUAZO) It is necessary though, for this dangerous climb, to be sure footed, a strong heart against vertigo, since the climbing is brutal and little by little, as you go up, the plain below seems to shrink. But once you get to the top, and you look around yourself, all the discomfort of the climbing is forgotten and you are absorbed in viewing the amazing and wonderful panorama that sorrounds you.
        The line of vision extends over las Muelas de Carcelen, more than 200 meters depth, the view sweeps over the plain, where the town of Alpera is only a white mark and the orchard but a green patch. Only a long narrow impeccable straight line, the artwork of some agricultural farmer cuts the monotony of the fallow, in the solitude of the burning sun and the oppressive silence, the farmhouses blending with the ocher color of the earth; nothing rises from that sad immensity, neither color, smoke nor noise that reminds of human life. But to the sides of the acropolis, babbling brooks run among the soil and the perfumed flowers , the cypresses, pine trees and junipers; and on top of the plain, among the ruins where the partridges sing from time to time, flocks of sheep play in the fiery sun, munch on the grass under the watchful eye of a sheep herder.
        Most likely, those tourist charterers that spend lots of money traveling to faraway places, looking for exciting views and scenery, have never contemplated most beautiful or glorious place, enjoyed the awesomness and colorful ruins of this forgotten region, drowned in a dazzling light on top of a vertiginous rock.
Everything that Cean Bermudez noticed, the streets surrounded by houses in ruins, the deep and a wide cisterns etched in stone, the deep path winding down serpent-like on the western part of the mount.
But I wonder that he did not notice the important ruin that is still standing at the site where the promontory goes down linked by a narrow isthmus to the mass of chainlike mountains; it is kind of a fortress that protects a door as well at the single weak point of this acropolis.
        As in Cean Bermudez's time.the ground is crusted with millions and millions of fragments of all shapes,sizes and epochmaking. Samples of which I have gathered in Amarejo are also found in Meca, only more abundant. But whereas in Almarejo the most recently samples date from roman times,in Meca, as the name shows,the samples show traces of arabic -making crockery with metallic inlaid, which is conveniently named hispanoarabic. (Would be interesting research the hispanoarabic literature for the information related to this Meca. A resident of that place told me that many years ago, a very well dressed man, garbed in marrakesh costume, visited the acropolis ,spent long time reading an old book as well as praying, and then he left. I do not know if this is a reality or a legend though I've heard similar stories in other places.)
        The incessant rounds that I've made throughout the acropolis, the digs that I've done in some of the cisterns, houses and other places that look interesting have allowed me to sift thru several levels of segments of ceramics, of which I've related the ones that looked interesting and of which a great number have been brought to the Louvre Museum as well as to the Almarejo Museum; they are very instructive and pretty new. But along with my delight I've also been disappointed due to the fact that these samples are extremely small, as if whatever crockery that was not been in use, was systematically crushed. Looks as if the moment the city stopped all movement (maybe by some natural disaster), the inhabitants before leaving their homes, took pleasure in smashing their belongings. But this theory is not satisfactory because it doesnt explain why the destruction of the most recent civilization(the hispanic/moorish)whereas it shows its extention to the other ones as well. And I have noticed that there are no chronological levels in this subject ,it is just a big massive confusion, surface and otherwise of which I am unable to shed any light.
         It is worth mentioning the big amount of "pieces"that in some instances have been rounded like flat tops in many shapes, some about 2 or 3 cms.thick and 7 or 8 cms. in width,whereas others were thin shaped on about 2 or 3 cms. wide, I wondered what were they used for, cause nothing around me looked or showed their usefulness. Don Pascual Serrano ,who is in the habit of looking into the subsoil, was unable to give me some answer. But Don Pedro Ibarra de Elche told me that he had found often in Alcudia de Ilisi, amphors and other artifacts whose bottleneckes were long and narrow and these pieces would act as cover or stoppers and were kind of glued with lime powder. Looks like it was general practice in those times, the excavation in Opuna have shown, Mr. Arthur Engel and me, that this method was practiced in Andalucia.

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