page_title: Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa
section_title: Archaeologist and historian
hierarchical_section_title: Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa / Archaeologist and historian
caption_attribution_description: Español: Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa. Número de inventario: 1940-27-FF-00019.
context_page_description: Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, 17th Marquis of Cerralbo, was a Spanish archaeologist and a Carlist politician.
context_section_description: Since his university days de Cerralbo has developed keen interest in culture and history; his first encounter with archaeology took place in the Madrid site of Ciempozuelos in 1895. He started to collect objects retrieved from various demolitions and organized archeological excavations himself: the first ones were those in upper Jalón valley, commenced in 1908. His key success was discovery of the Celtiberian site of Arcóbriga, listed as Arcobrigensis in the Roman sources and sought by generations from the 16th century; based on multi-faceted analysis Cerralbo correctly narrowed the search area and discovered the site, where excavations were to continue for tens of years to come. In 1909, following numerous notes about odd findings, he commenced excavations in Torralba del Moral and Ambrona, continued until 1916,  at that time considered the most ancient human settling discovered so far in Europe. El hombre fossil by Hugo Obermaier (1916), a paleontological reference book for generations, was partially based on de Cerralbo's findings.  Remained a promoter, sponsor, director and assessor on many other sites.
  Though de Cerralbo's excavation methodology is now considered outdated, he introduced new techniques like photography both on site and in laboratory or complex indexing methods. He co-operated with specialists like geologists, cartoonists, historians, engineers, photographers or paleontologists, sharing discoveries on many scientific fora. Cerralbo became member of many scientific institutions. He was visited in Madrid and Soria by a number of world-class archaeologists. In 1912 he was recognized for 5 volumes of his monumental Páginas de la Historia Patria por mis excavaciones arqueológicas  by Premio Internacional Martorell and applauded for his work on Torralba by International Congress of Anthropology and Archaeology in Geneva the same year. He was invited by the Ministry of Education to work on new law on excavations, which, adopted in 1911, prevented objects from being taken out of the country and created Junta Superior de Excavaciones y Antigüedades y Comisión de Investigaciones Paleontológicas y Prehistóricas. Headed a number of archaeological institutions himself. Published studies on María Henríquez de Toledo, archbishop Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada and the Santa María de Huerta monastery. In 1908 he entered Real Academia de Historia (invitation pending since 1898), to join Real Academia Española in 1913. Before his death de Cerralbo donated part of his archeological collection to museums.
caption: Cerralbo at work
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