Defying God and the king
A 17th-century gold rush for ‘megalithic treasure’
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22993181 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marcos Martinón-Torres (0000-0003-2124-2837, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 219-235 |
| Publication date | 2002-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1465-5187 • E-ISSN: 1753-5530 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1179/pua.2002.2.4.219 |
| OpenAlex | W2022223781 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
At the beginning of the 17th century, the priest Vázquez de Orjas received from the Spanish King Philip III a franchise that allowed him to excavate the mámoas or megalithic barrows of Galicia (northwest Iberian Peninsula). His task would be to recover for the Royal Treasury all the gold supposedly held in them. However, the priest's activities and claims gave rise to a widespread gold rush that resulted in hundreds of looted monuments and ended in a long series of trials. This paper is based on the legal case file resulting from that lawsuit and presents the translation of several fragments. The origins and development of the event are explained, together with discussion of the human and legal aspects regarding ownership and management of this heritage. In addition, the symbolic role played by the monuments at this time is explored: as hidden places for treasures, the megaliths represented salvation for many people. This gave rise to episodes involving mythical creatures and to resorting to the help of magic and religion, as reported in the interrogations. Finally, archaeologists are encouraged to pay attention to this stage of the life histories of the monuments when undertaking excavations.
Ancient history · Antique · Archaeology · Gold rush · MAGIC (telescope) · Megalith · Peninsula · Political science · Treasure · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · History · Law
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
| Citation span | 2004 - 2023 (20) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |