ASMOSIA IX The 9th International Conference of the Association for the Study of Marbles and Other Stones in Antiquity

Transcription

1 ASMOSIA IX The 9th International Conference of the Association for the Study of Marbles and Other Stones in Antiquity Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone Special Theme Session: Symbolism of stones - local and imported materials Tarragona (Spain), 8-13 th June 2009 SECOND CIRCULAR GENERALITIES The dates of the Conference are 8 th -13 th of June 2009 and the oral and poster presentations will take place from the 8 th to 11 th of June (Monday to Friday). The Traditional ASMOSIA Association Members Business Meeting will take place also during these days. The organizing Committee wishes to thank the massive response to the call for abstracts of the IX ASMOSIA Conference. The amount of abstracts submitted and the number of registered participants is very high. Also, we apologise for the delay in replying some of the queries. It was due to the coincidence of a huge amount of s and some troubles with our server. Please remember that despite no more abstracts will be admitted, you can still register until the beginning or during of the Conference. Currently, the review of abstracts is being conducted. We will inform you about the final decision as soon as possible. The final program of the Conference will be posted on the IX ASMOSIA Conference website ( Please, remember that the official language of the Conference is English. No translation service will be provided. ORAL PRESENTATIONS Oral PRESENTATIONS will have 15 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for discussion. Only powerpoint presentations will be accepted (slides will not be accepted). Please make sure to provide the staff with one copy of the file (.ppt) to be

2 projected well in advance (that is, at least at the beginning of the session block before your presentation). POSTERS The format of the POSTERS will follow these guidelines: - Dimensions: 841 x format A0 = 1189mm - Orientation: Vertical - Form letter: preferably Arial or Times New Roman - Size of the letters of the title: not less than 36p Please be aware that it will be not possible to show posters that do not follow these guidelines. Posters should be readable from a distance of about 2 metres. Material for attaching posters to the poster board will be provided by the Organization. Do not forget to include the following information: - Name of author / s - Institution - the author / s It is advisable to bring handabouts (A4 copies) with you to hand them to those interested in the topic or data you present. YOUNG RESEARCHER S BEST POSTER AWARD The organization of the IX International Conference ASMOSIA has decided to award the best poster presented by a young researcher or researchers among all those posters shown during the poster sessions. Only posters by authors up to 35 years old will be considered by the jury, which will be made up by the members of the Scientific Committee. The prize will consist of the refund of the registration fee, a 300 prize (in cash) and a diploma. The verdict of the Scientific Committee will be announced the last day of the sessions (Friday 12 th June). The prize-giving will take place immediately afterwards. To participate, you only need to provide the Organization with an exact, DIN A4 size copy of the poster displayed during the poster sessions and a photocopy of the author/s identity card/passport (as proof of its/their date of birth) before Thursday June 11 th. PUBLICATION The Organization wishes the participants to know that both due to the high participation and the fact that poster presentations always generate very interesting discussions, posters will be one of the highlights of the Conference. Therefore, the program for the posters is released exactly at the same time as the oral and printed with exactly the same layout as the oral. They will be also included in the book of abstracts provided to all participants and, more important, there will be no differentiation between poster and oral papers as regards the publication of the proceedings. The publication of the Proceedings is intended to be done within the following year since the celebration of the Conference. The rules for presenting the papers will be announced during the Conference.

3 SCIENTIFIC TRIPS Two scientific trips directly related to the topics discussed in the Conference have been arranged by the Organization for all the participants: A visit to the Roman quarry of El Mèdol, located about 17 km north from Tarragona, where traces of ancient extraction are still visible and a monolith left shows the original ground level. This will take place Wednesday afternoon and the costs of this trip are already included on the conference registration fee. A visit to Tortosa (ancient Dertosa), where the Broccatello quarries (locally called Jaspi de la Cinta) are. The visit will include a visit to the quarries of Els Valencians and La Cinta, the two main quarry sites were traces of extraction previous to the introduction of recent methods are still visible, a reception at the City Hall (Ayuntamiento) and a guided tour through the main places within the town where examples of the use of broccatello are visible (i.e. the cathedral, the castle). Tortosa is located about 85 km south from Tarragona (one hour trip). It will take place on Saturday 13 th June and it will take the whole day. The costs (except lunch) are included on the conference registration fee. OPTIONAL EVENTS In addition, other optional visits will be offered to those that might be interested. They consist of: A dinner, which will take place on Thursday evening, and following the custom from previous ASMOSIA conferences, will enable us to discuss and share interests on a more relaxed atmosphere. The venue for this dinner is the restaurant Les Voltes which is located within the archaeological remains of the Roman circus of Tarragona. There, we will taste a traditional Catalan dinner. For more information about this very particular restaurant, visit The cost of this dinner is 30.

4 a visit to the highlights of ancient Tarraco heritage including the Roman circus, the Roman amphitheatre, the Roman walls, the Forum Provincialis and the Praetorium. The Roman circus was built in the 1st century and its original capacity has been estimated at 30,000 spectators. It is considered one of the best-preserved circuses in the West, although some of the original structure remains hidden under old 19th-century buildings. The Praetorium is a Roman-era tower that once housed the stairs that connected the lower city to the provincial forum by way of the circus, to which it is connected by means of underground passageways. It stands at one of the corners of the vast rectangle of the provincial forum square. In the 16th century, it was transformed into a palace for the monarchs of the Catalan- Aragonese crown. It was subsequently used as a prison. The Provincial forum was located on the intermediate step of the three-terraced city plan. Today, this once vast plaza with its surrounding arcade is home to dozens of houses and streets. Remains of the portico can be seen nowadays in the buildings of the "Antiga Audiència", or the Old Court of Justice, (southwest tower), in Plaça del Pallol (entranceway, vault and pilasters of the Old Nunnery), in Plaça del Fòrum (angular wall) and in the Praetorium (southeast tower with entranceways, vaults and pilasters). The amphitheatre was built in the 2nd century and some of the stands were carved directly out of the underlying bedrock. It could hold up to 14,000 spectators. In the early 6th century, a Visigoth basilica was built on the site, which was eventually replaced by the mediaeval Santa Maria del Miracle (Our Lady of the Miracle) church. This visit will take place Sunday (14 th June) morning, and it is open to all participants (free visit included in the conference registration fee). To facilitate the organization of these events (bus, seats, etc), if you are interested in any please send the attached Optional Events form specifying your preferences to the XI ASMOSIA Conference address (asmosia9@icac.net) as soon as possible.

5 OPTIONALS TRIPS A visit at the Font Major Cave, Modernist Cooperative Winery and Etnographic Museum at L Espluga de Francolí (near Tarragona). Font Major Cave is a unique place, which allows the visitor to plunge into the region's geological and prehistoric past. It is one of the world's biggest caves and 300,000 year-old animal remains, including rhinoceros, hyenas and deer, were found there together with Neolithic finds and early pottery remains. Late pre-roman occupation has been also documented as well as funerary remains and 2nd-3rd century ceramics. For more information, visit and It will have the opportunity to visit the new Ethnographic Museum that will be open to the public next summer. This visit will take place Sunday (14 th June) afternoon and due to the nature of the visit (Caves, Winery, Museum) the number of people that can join the group is limited. Half day Esplugues Francolí Caves (Bus) (including bus, entrance to the caves, museum and winery)11 /pax. (min 50 places). A minimum of 50 people might me needed to confirm this trip. If the number of people registered is lower, it may be subject to cancellation (and return of fee) or variation on its cost.

6 1 day Tour in Barcelona. Barcelona City Tour (by bus & foot): Passeig de Gràcia (exterior views Casa Batlló, La Pedrera, Sagrada Família Temple) Rambla, Boqueria Market, The Old Jewish Quarter, la Plaça Sant Jaume (City Hall and Catalan Government), Cathedral. (Bus + guide half day) 20 /pax. (min 50 places). A minimum of 50 people might me needed to confirm this trip. If the number of people registered is lower, it may be subject to cancellation (and return of fee) or variation on its cost. 1Day Tour in Empuries (Costa Brava). A town on the Mediterranean coast. It was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists from Phocaea with the name of Εμπόριον (Emporion "market"). It was later occupied by the Romans, but in the Early Middle Ages the town was abandoned. The ruins are midway between the Costa Brava town of L'Escala and the tiny village of Sant Martí. (Bus). 21 /pax Bus (min 50 places) A minimum of 50 people might me needed to confirm this trip. If the number of people registered is lower, it may be subject to cancellation (and return of fee) or variation on its cost. These optional trips will be managed directly by the travel agency DERTOTRAVEL. If interested, please fill out the application on the attached accommodation booking form and send it to the following address: congressos@dertotravel.com.

7 USEFUL INFORMATION The town of Tarragona The town of Tarragona, ancient Tarraco and capital city of the Hispania Tarraconensis province, will be hosting the Conference. It is located at the northeast coast of Spain, about 100 km south from Barcelona. It lays on a small hill next to the Mediterranean Sea where an early Roman town was founded in 218 BC. Tarragona is rich not only in urban archaeological heritage (it was declared World Heritage by the UNESCO in 2000) but also in research projects focusing on ancient archaeology. Nowadays it is the place of the recently created Institut Català d Arqueologia Clàssica (ICAC). Its warm Mediterranean climate as well as the town s tourist and heritage attraction are a great complement to the social life involved in an event of these characteristics. How to reach Tarragona 1. by plane fly to Barcelona airport (El Prat Airport) and either take a bus (directly from the airport to Tarragona or from Estació del Nord Coach station in Barcelona city center), a train or rent a car. Finally you could also rent a car at the same airport fly to the local airport of Reus (about 5 km) which holds lots of charter flights as well as several Ryanair connections. From the airport take a taxi to Tarragona city center. The journey lasts about 10 minutes 2. by train All the trains going south (either Tortosa or Reus) from Sants Railway Station in Barcelona stop at Tarragona. The frequency of departures is high and there are several categories of trains that cover this line and the prices vary significantly according to which one you take (the ones called Regionales and Catalunya Express are cheaper while the Talgo, Euromed and Altaria are more expensive). Take the AVE train either from Barcelona or Madrid train and stop at Camp de Tarragona station. From there take a taxi to Tarragona city center. Tarragona Train Station o Estació de RENFE o Passeig d Espanya, s/n o Tarragona o o Telf.: / by coach ALSA coaches ( and PLANA coaches ( depart for Tarragona every now and then either from the same airport or Estació del Nord Coach station. The fares are also inexpensive. Bus Station: Estació d Autobusos de Tarragona Plaça Imperial Tarraco s/n Telf

8 Bus from Tarragona to other cities: Alsa Enatcar: (telf ) Hife: (telf ) Hispania ( ) Plana: by car from Barcelona by taking either the AP-7 or the C-33 motorways. There is some parking in the vicinity of the Conference site: o Parking de la Pedrera (Plaça de la Pedrera) o Parking de la Plaça de la Font o Parking de la Rambla Nova Both coach and train stations are about a walking distance of minutes from the Conference venue. Besides, the existence of several parking areas at the outskirts of the old town centre makes it easy to reach the Conference site by car. Therefore, it is very easy to reach the place to hold the sessions whatever way the participants choose to use. Taxi Service There are numerous taxi ranks in the city. However, you can call one of our radiotaxi companies existing to Tarragona: ( Associació Tàrraco Taxis ), ( Agrupació de Ràdio-Taxis de Tarragona ) and ( Sicart ). ACCOMODATION Tarragona and its immediate surroundings are a very important tourist destination. There are a wide variety of hotels and accommodation facilities at Tarragona or at small distance from it, but remember that tourism in Tarragona on June is very important. Also, several major conferences will be held around that time. This might make a little bit more difficult than usually to find an accommodation during the Conference dates. In order to help those participants that still have to deal with this issue, we have engaged the services of travel agency DERTOTRAVEL. If you wish to contact their services, you will find a brief description of the available hotels, a map showing their situation and the Accommodation Booking Form below and the conference website ( In addition, the Tourism Office Website is very helpful in informing and facilitating reservations. Please, contact them as soon as possible ( GENERAL INFORMATION For any question or other information, please contact: Dr. Anna Gutierrez Unitat d Estudis Arqueomètrics Institut Català d Arqueologia Clàssica (ICAC) Pl. Rovellat, s/n Tarragona (Spain) asmosia9@icac.net

9 HOTELS LOCATION AT TARRAGONA ICAC Headquarters Conference 1. H. Astari ***/H. Nuria*** 2. H. Plaça de la Font */ Noria** Hostel 3. H. Lauria ***/Aparthotel Alexandra 4. H. Urbis *** Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

10 HOTELS LOCATION OUTSIDE TARRAGONA SALOU & CAMBRILS. H. SALAURIS PALACE ****. SALOU //H. BEST CAMBRILS****. CAMBRILS Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

11 HOTELS DESCRIPTION: HOTEL H10 SALAURIS PALACE. ****. AV. PAISOS CATALANS S/N SALOU. ( TARRAGONA). SPAIN. Location: 10 Km from Reus Airport, 10 Km from Tarragona and 110 Km from Barcelona. Just 800 metres away from the PortAventura amusement park and the beach, next to several golf courses, the H10 Salauris Palace is a modern hotel with all the necessary services and facilities for enjoying the perfect holidays. The complete gastronomic offer and the swimming pool with a Jacuzzi and waterfall will delight both children and adults Just 800 metres away from the PortAventura amusement park and the beach. Services: 347 rooms, 4 Junior Suites, Buffet restaurant with show cooking, La Choza Snack Bar next to the swimming pool Salauris Bar, Swimming pool Bar, Swimming pool with a waterfall and Jacuzzi, Garden area and solarium, Covered and heated pool with a Jacuzzi, Gymnasium with a sauna, Turkish bath and massages, Children s park, Entertainment programme, Internet Corner, Air conditioning, Laundry service, Meeting Room, Boutique. HOTEL BEST CAMBRILS****. Av. Diputació, Cambrils. (Tarragona). Spain ADDED VALUES Exterior swimming pool for adults and children, with ample terrace solarium Optional services: parking, fitness, mini golf, shop, sauna and massages LOCATED The Best Cambrils hotel is located in the area of Vilafotuny Cambrils, 60 m of a fine sand beach in the heat of Coast Dorada. ROOMS Pretty rooms with terrace, equipped with air conditioning, direct telephone, satellite TV, magnetic closing of safety, fully fitted bathroom with hair dryer and optional safe-deposit box. RESTAURANTS AND BARS In the hotel you will find a restaurant buffet, show cooking (only for breakfast and lunch), national and international food, Formal attire required in the service of dinner, bar cafeteria and snack bar in the swimming pool. Animation during the day and by night. SERVICES The hotel has a games room, TV salon. Kids play area and mini club (4-12 years old). Optional services: shops, Internet corner, parking, fitness, mini golf, ping-pong, billiard table, sauna and massages. Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

12 HOTEL ASTARI ** * - Via Augusta, Tarragona, Spain Located in the central privileged area of the city of Tarragona, it offers the charms of this city with its splendid views of the Mediterranean, as well as providing a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere with a unique style. The hotel is located in the Via Augusta, one of the main streams of the city, 300 m to the roman amply theatre, 500 m to the beach und about 800 m to the train station. GENERAL SERVICES : 81 rooms, Restaurant, Bar, cafeteria, Totally air-conditioned, Room service, Laundry service, Meeting und convention rooms, Exterior swimming pool, Garden, Garage HOTEL LAURIA*** - Rambla Nova, Tarragona, Spain The hotel, was built on the gardens of an old lordly house. Situated at La Rambla Nova, a few meters from the balcony of the Mediterranean Sea and in the heart of the shopping district, where you can enjoy the great variety of restaurants or the best shops of the city. A few minutes from the hotel you can also submerge in the roman history of the city, as there is a great architectural environmental. The hotel has 72 rooms equipped with central heat, air conditioning, background music, direct phone line, satellite TV, individual safekeeping box and hair dryer. Other facilities of the hotel are: laundry service, bar, TV lounge, free internet service for our customers, two meeting rooms and private parking. On the hot summer days, you can also enjoy our outdoor swimming pool. Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

13 HOTEL URBIS CENTRE *** - Plaza Corsini, Tarragona, Spain Hotel Urbis Centre has 44 standard rooms with possibility of double bed or two beds. All t he rooms have 21''TV and bathroom with hairdryer and telephone. Rooms services: Air conditioning, Individual heating, Modem connection, Direct telephone and a programmable alarm clock, Exercise bikes available on request, Safe deposit box, Digital Channel, Non smoking rooms, Piped music, Desk, Mini bar, Radio, Hair-drier, TV, International Channels. Hotel Services: Internet free connection / WI-FI Area, Car renting, Bar, Business center, Coffee shop, Private dinning room, Buffet breakfast, Restaurant, Money exchange, Fax, Laundry and dry cleaning, Parking, Reading room, Secretarial services (arranged), Snack bar. HOTEL NURIA***. Via Augusta, Tarragona. Spain. It is near to Arrabassada's Beach, enjoying of a privileged location that will offer rest and comfort close to the sea, in a beach of golden and thin sand typical of the Costa Dorada. The Hotel is placed in a building recently reformed with a modern front. The Hotel is directed focus either for business people or for traveller holiday or leisure visitors. Services: 24 Hours Reception, Central Heating; Air Conditioning, Buffet Breakfast, Meeting Rooms and Banquets, Free Newspaper, Laundry Service, Free Parking, Elevator, Bar, Restaurant, Internet Services Non Smoking Rooms, Disabled Access. Our Rooms are soundproof and endowed with Terrace, Complete Bath, Safety Security Individual Box, Hairdryer, Satellite TV, Telephone, Internet WIFI and Temperature controller Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

14 APARTHOTEL ALEXANDRA***. RAMBLA NOVA TARRAGONA 30 apartments combine a fresh and modern design. Perfectly located in the heart of Tarragona, in Rambla Nova. Has; Bar, 24-Hour Front Desk, Newspapers, Non-Smoking Rooms, Rooms/Facilities for Disabled Guests, Elevator, Safety Deposit Box. Wired internet is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge. larium, Hiking, Outdoor Swimming Pool. No parking available. HOTEL COSMOS *. Estanislao Figueres, Tarragona. Family and small hotel. IIt is located near the Imperal Tarraco Square and next to the Rovira Virgili University. (2 min. from the bus station and 15 min. from the railways station ). Standard Room services, Heating; Hairdryer, Television. Accomodation facilities ; Lift, Bar/Café, Internet Centre, Garden/Terrace, Laundry,Parking,hairdresser, 24 hr Room Service, Accepts Credit Cards. Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

15 HOTEL PLAÇA LA FONT * - Plaça de la Font, Tarragona, Spain The hotel, built in the year 2004, is located in the city centre, at the heart of the old city, in the most emblematic square in town. At walking distance from all World Heritage monuments. The hotel has 20 double rooms, all of them equipped with a complete bathroom, phone, TV, air conditioning and heating. Other facilities of the hotel are: Restaurant, Bar, 24- Hour Front Desk, Non-Smoking Rooms, Rooms/Facilities for Disabled Guests. Internet: Wireless internet is available in public areas and is free of charge. Dertotravel CONGRESSOS

16 HOSTAL NORIA 2**. Plaça de la Font, TARRAGONA. Spain Set in the heart of Tarragona s old town, this value hotel is ideal for a visit to this charming Catalan city. The Noria Hostel is located in Plaça (Square) de la Font, a long pedestrians square which forms the city s focal point. From here, all of Tarragona s historic monuments are just a short walk away. Dertotravel CONGRESSOS