As from the 1970s, upon returning to the area of Soria (Spain) the inhabitants who emigrated in the previous decades, and as the region was repopulated, they began to find numerous steles of the Roman era. In total, about 40 tombstones have been found in excavations carried out in the Highlands of Soria region, most of them from the 1st and 2nd centuries, but also earlier ones.

The Highlands of Soria region is located in the northeast of the province of Soria, in the Ebro basin. In the Iron Age, Celtiberian culture dominated, and when it came to Romanization, local and Roman traditions were mixed, for example, in the workshops dedicated to the elaboration of epistolars.

Most of the headings of the tombstones found in the excavations are in Latin, but among the names of the dead are also those that can be in Old Basque. Until recently it was believed that they were Iberian names, but in the last decade they have been interpreted within the Basque Basque linguistic framework, the history of the current Basque country. In fact, one of the hypotheses is that pastors brought livestock to grazing the pastures of the area and thus mixed the populations.

As for the history of the Basque Country, the stellar headings of the Highlands of Soria region, which make up the largest set of Basque and Aquitarian anthropoponomia so far found in the south of the Pyrenees, are significant.

Eduardo Alfaro Peña, head of the Idoubeda Oros project, which investigates the archaeological heritage of Highlands, has researched these steles for two decades for his doctoral thesis. He will soon publish a book with the conclusions of the research, but in the meantime he has created an exhibition with the headstones and some of the conclusions obtained.

In 2019 the exhibition of all the steles was held in Santa Cruz de Yanguas, and now you can visit part of the sample in Bergara. The Laboratorium Museum in Bergara exhibits six tombstones, including the old headings in Basque, since the end of last October. In addition, Eduardo Alfaro himself has given several lectures on the subject. Despite the limitations of mobility, the groups of 15 people at the conferences organized so far have been completed immediately.

The sample, which was due to end in December, can be visited until 24 January and will last for one month. In addition, Eduardo Alfaro will offer a new conference on 22 January, at 17:30, at the Bergara Seminar. On this occasion, the capacity will be about 125 people and to attend as listeners it is necessary to register previously through the website of the Museum of Laboratories.