Religious believes versus cultural resource management: about the Medieval Jewish cemetery of Valencia (Spain)

Abstract

Archaeological heritage ownership is a controversial subject under the influence of both ethnic and religious claims. In 1996, a group of Jewish communities finally were able to interrupt the archaeological excavation under way at the medieval Jewish cemetery of Valencia. In this manner they did not allow the anthropological analysis of human remains recovered at the site that were reburied at the Jewish cemetery of Barcelona. Both administrations, local and regional, prioritized religious claims of the communities involved with respect to the archaeological heritage. As a consequence of a complaint filed by a group of citizens, the Síndic of Greuges of the Valencian Community (regional ombudsman) signed a condemnatory resolution against the initial resolution of the public administration.