New Civil War graves discovered in Serra de Riés

Under the auspices of the Catalan Government and the coordination of the UAB, a new initiative directed by Dr Assumpció Malgosa at Serra de Riés (Alt Penedès) has yielded the discovery of two individual graves, from which human remains and objects from the Civil War were exhumed.

07/04/2015

The work was carried out between the towns of Subirats and Olesa de Bonesvalls. It included complementary tasks of historical documentation, topographic studies and tasks using methodologies pertaining to archaeology and physical and forensic anthropology, in two lines of work: archaeological digs in five areas of Serra de Riés and prospecting the area with metal detectors.

The archaeological dig yielded two individual shallow graves and researchers were able to document and exhume the remains of at least three individuals, one in each grave and a third individual in another area of the dig. Personal objects were also recovered, such as a comb, pencil, parts of a shoe, a medal, buckles and buttons. The human remains correspond to three young men and their injuries are compatible with the circumstances of their death.

The prospectings helped to draw a detailed map of the area in which over 1,500 bullets and remains of ammunition were located, as well as other metal elements used in the Civil War which helped interpret the events of that period. Cartridges, sheaths, projectiles, tins and fabrics are some of the objects which were found.

Researchers also made a note of all the changes the landscape has undergone and which could explain the difficulty in finding the graves and the remains of some of the skeletons found.

History and Expectations

The current initiative, which began on 23 February of this year, forms part of tasks carried out in the same area in 2014, thanks to the collaboration of the Departments of Governance and Institutional Relations and of Culture. On that occasion, two graves were discovered at Torrent dels Albans and the remains of four soldiers were exhumed, alongside several objects.

Following scientific criteria from the technical committee for the recovery and identification of people who disappeared during the Civil War and Franco's Dictatorship, the Department of Governance and Institutional Relations decided to carry out this initiative in the Ordal region. The terms and conditions were set down in an agreement signed on 26 January 2015 between the UAB and the University of Barcelona, which also participates in the project.

The tasks included in the 2015 campaign at Serra de Riés continue with the anthropological study of the skeletal remains and the material related to the war context of 1939, the review of oral testimonies and existing documents.

These tasks are carried out thanks to the collaboration of the city councils of Subirats and Olesa de Bonesvalls, as well as the Subirats Studies Centre and the Penedesencs Studies Centre.