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INPRIMATU
Soria and the Basques
  • On July 17, a very important exhibition was opened in Santa Cruz de Yanguas (Highlands, Soria) with the presence of the archaeologist Eduardo Alfaro Peña, the anthropologist Eduardo Aznar Martínez and authorities of the province: an exhibition of the steles of the Roman era.
Juan Martin Elexpuru 2019ko abuztuaren 12a

You can see photos and transcriptions of the 44 steles found in the region, 12 of them physically. A real treasure for the history of the Basque Country, as the Basque comes from the archaic by the names of the people that appear on these tombstones. Will they continue to issue the televised tale of late Euskaldunisation?

The next day El Heraldo de Soria brought the chronicle of the entire page. We read, inter alia: “We have an exceptional atmosphere, and within this some pieces that are giving new time on the origin of the Basque country. The stel of Antestius Sesenco, dated between the first and second centuries, and found in Villar del Río, is in this sense the great attraction that is in fact already arousing a reservation of visits from the Basque Country (…) From some of this certifies that in Highlands there was a Basque nomenclature or “aquitana”… It is not possible to say, “Basque”.

When I met the exhibition through a friend, I was surprised that nothing appeared in the Basque media. After waiting a couple of days, on July 21, I sent a message to all the newspapers in Euskal Herria, to ARGIA and to the radio and television of EITB. Some of them directly to journalists I know. It was like this.

“Afternoons: these are not the best dates for this kind of work, but I come with good news. Recently several interesting steles have been found in Soria (Highlands) with words in Basque, perhaps with whole phrases, and with them the exhibition in Santa Cruz de Yanguas has recently opened. Among them is Haurce (haurke) Belsco with other words in Basque from the 1st century or that is presented for the first time. I think this is important news, which is worth breathing in. The archaeologist he has found is Eduardo Alfaro Peña, who has the collaboration of Eduardo Aznar Martínez on Euskera issues. Contact: Eduardo Alfaro, tlf. : xxx, email: xxx She's very interested. I send you a report in Soria's press along with the exhibition poster. A moment. ”

Only three journalists answered me. One of them would do something, the other would send the message to the relevant section, and so on. The fact is that the month of August is advanced and nothing has appeared anywhere. Not a word. So far, Basque journalists have not made a single call to Alfaro to go to the appointment. If you make a potato tortilla competition in Abaltzisketa or you form a rock group in Azpeitia that just sings in English, that's important news, you can offer the entire page, but you can't pay attention to this.

"In Soria there is a lot of interest in this issue. During all these years, Alfaro has enjoyed the full protection of the public authorities. The inhabitants of small towns have understood the values of these steles and are happy to collaborate in the search and care of new pieces with Alfaro"

Do Euskaldunes love such a history of the Basque language?The Belgian geochemical Koen Van den Driessche titled the introduction to the blog Ama Ata; after some reflections he says: “But even stronger seems to me the complete disinterest in the work of Eduardo Aznar and Dr. in Archaeology Eduardo Alfaro in La Rioja and the Highlands in Soria. The ‘Eduardoak’ are, each in its field, creating the Rioja and northern Soria gradually in a new ‘Aquitaine’ for the Basque era, and the Basque cultural elite does not seem to find out.”

In Soria there is a lot of interest in this issue. During all these years, Alfaro has enjoyed the full protection of the public authorities. The inhabitants of small towns have understood the values of these steles and are happy to collaborate in the search and care of new pieces with Alfaro. Its intellectuals and politicians (both right and left) are proud of this heritage, and some of them are surprised to see that there is no greater interest in the north of the Ebro, that is, in the current Basque Country.

I think everything is said. Desperate!

Remember: the exhibition is open until 25 August. From Thursday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 14:00, but visits may also be arranged in other days. We want to think that a lot of people are going to visit us in the Basque Country.