argia.eus
INPRIMATU
New projects for Iruña Veleia
Tomas Elortza Ugarte 2022ko ekainaren 02a

The Provincial Council of Álava and the Basque Government, as has been disseminated in various media, are proposing new projects at the site of Iruña Veleia in the coming years: turning the Roman city into a school of deposits and a laboratory of practices; promoting scientific research in the cultural heritage; offering a culture of quality in tourism and generating social value; and, finally, designing a plan in the long term.

I am not against innovation, because Iruña Veleia is worthwhile, but they seem to want to hide the debate that has been held over the last sixteen years around the falsehood of graphite authenticity and that would be a serious mistake. Because the matter has not yet been resolved, although there has been a condemnation:

"Hundreds of pieces have not yet been cleared by the objection of the Council of Álava"

The atypical graphites released in 2006 have not yet been tested. Of the 291 graphites, only 37 have been subjected to some kind of laboratory tests, carried out by a single person, will it suffice? : one out of 37 considered them authentic and 36 false. But to other 254 graphites (87%!!!) no tests have been performed, they are in ‘limbo’, among them all those carried out on bone, brick and glass.

Hundreds of pieces have not yet been cleared by the objection of the Council of Álava. Although the Ertzaintza completed a full police report, it did not reveal who the counterfeiters were, nor how the counterfeits were committed at any time. The ‘criminal’ action is therefore unclear.

Although the judge sentenced Eliseo Gil, in the sentence he wrote phrases such as: “It has not been sufficiently demonstrated that he himself produced contemporary graffiti by himself.” Eliseo Gil invokes the judgment. Let everyone draw their conclusions.