SITE DIRECTORS
Margarita
Orfila Pons, Ph.D.
Dr. Orfila is a professor of Archaeology at the University of Granada, where she directs several research groups on Archaeology and Ancient History. A native of Menorca, she has been part of the Pollentia excavation and research project for almost 20 years.
Besides co-directing the Pollentia excavation, Dr. Orfila directs the project "Digital Pollentia," which has digitally reconstructed the old city of Pollentia. In addition, Dr. Orfila has done extensive archaeological work at the Paleo-Christian site of Son Fadrinet in Mallorca.
Miguel Ángel Cau, Ph.D.
Dr.
Cau is a research professor at the Institució Catalana de Recerca
i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), an associate professor of Archaeology
at the University of Barcelona and co-director at Pollentia. Born in Mallorca,
Dr. Cau specializes in late antiquity Mediterranean insular
systems, late Roman cooking wares and the application of archaeometry
to ceramics.
In addition to Pollentia, he co-directs the excavation of the Roman villae of Sa Mesquida as well as the excavations of Illa del Rei and the geophysical survey of Fornells, both early Christian basilicas, in Menorca. Dr. Cau is also the scientific director of the excavations at the early Christian complex of Son Peretó in Mallorca.
Esther
Chávez Álvarez, Ph.D.
Dr. Chávez is a co-director at Pollentia and professor of Archaeology at the University of La Laguna on the Canary Island of Tenerife. She has participated in various archaeological excavations and surveys in the Canary Islands, mainland Spain and abroad, focusing on prehistoric, protohistoric and Roman periods.
Her research interests focus on the protohistoric and Roman
settlement of southeastern Iberia, Roman settlements in Mallorca,
Roman pottery production, ancient North Africa and its relation to the
Canary Islands, and archaeological tourism in the Canaries.
ARCHAEOSPAIN STAFF
Unai
Aurrekoetxea
Unai has been co-leading Pollentia groups since 2007, and since 2004 led ArchaeoSpain teams at the excavations of Tiermes and Pintia. With more than a decade of archaeological experience, Unai has lived and worked in both his native Bilbao and Edinburgh, excavating dozens of sites.
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Unai graduated with an MA in Archaeology from the University of Deusto,
Spain. He is currently working for an archaeology firm in Bilbao.
Sara Sevilla
Sara hails from Salamanca and has been with the ArchaeoSpain High School program since 2005. In Spain she has excavated in Tiermes, Duraton, Lancia and Samano, in addition to digs in Verona and Toscana in Italy. Sara also worked for a private archaeology firm in Italy. She now runs a cultural management firm in Valencia.
Sara graduated from the University of Salamanca with a History degree, and has a master's degree in International Cultural Management from the University of Genoa. She also studied Archaeology at Trinity College in Dublin.
Juan
José Fuldain
Juanjo has been co-leading the Pollentia crew for two years, in addition to one season at our Pintia excavation. An expert in archaeological drawing by hand and with computers, Juanjo is now the senior illustrator at the Museum of London Archaeology Service. He has also presented papers at several Computer Applications in Archaeology conventions.
Juanjo has an MA in Archaeology from the University of Deusto, and has more than 20 years of experience on excavation sites in Spain, France and Belgium, ranging from the Paleolithic to contemporary time periods.