Arqueología de un espacio habitado, trabajado y defendido. El sistema fortificado de Salinas de Añana (Álava)

The stratigraphic analysis of the wall of the village of Salinas de Añana (Álava) together with the excavations within its fortified area have offered a lot of information about the evolution of its built environment from the Early Medieval period until now. This research paper consists of two parts. Main recorded phases obtained thanks to the archaeological work are firstly described. Comprehension of spatial order resulted after the foundation of a village at the beginnings of the 12th century and the gathering of several hamlets that since the Late Antiquity populated, worked and defended the Valle Salado, is exposed in the second part. In order to understand this process, space syntax analysis, methodology developed within English scientific context, has been applied, showing an special attention to those instruments which enable to determine a global pattern of settlements (Alpha analysis), because this pattern links the social logic of space with the spatial logic of the society that created it.La lectura estratigráfica de la muralla de la villa alavesa de Salinas de Añana, así como la ejecución de excavaciones en su recinto fortificado, nos han proporcionado abundante información sobre la evolución de su paisaje construido desde la Alta Edad Media hasta la actualidad. La investigación que presentamos se divide en dos partes. En la primera, describimos las principales fases documentadas durante la intervención arqueológica. En la segunda, nos hemos centrado en comprender el ordenamiento espacial resultante tras el proceso de fundación de una villa creada a principios del siglo XII en la que, además, se agruparon las distintas comunidades aldeanas que desde la Tardoantigüedad habitaban, trabajaban y defendían el Valle Salado. Para ello, hemos empleado la metodología del «Análisis Sintáctico del Espacio» desarrollada en el mundo anglosajón, prestando una especial atención a las herramientas dirigidas a determinar el patrón global de los asentamientos (Alpha Analysis), pues este patrón es, en definitiva, el que conecta la lógica social del espacio con la lógica espacial de la sociedad que lo creó

Génesis de una villa medieval. Erdi aroko hiri baten sorrera

El Valle Salado de Añana es uno de los lugares más extraordinarios de cuantos existen en el País Vasco. Su grandeza no radica en su rasgos formales, estéticos o monumentales, sino en su excepcionalidad y en la insuperable perfección que alcanza como simbiosis entre lo natural y lo antrópico, como modelo de sostenibilidad durante al menos 1.200 años.En el caso de Añana nos encontramos ante un paisaje evolucionado orgánicamente y que permanece todavía vivo, aunque en riesgo. La imparable decadencia no era sino consecuencia de la pérdida definitiva de rentabilidad económica (a favor de las salinas costeras y las minas) a partir de mediados del siglo XX. En un primer momento, y para revertir el proceso, se pensó en una recuperación del lugar potenciando su actividad industrial y a diversas soluciones que incrementaran su productividad. Ninguna de las opciones propuestas era capaz, sin embargo, de asegurar su rentabilidad.En su utilísimo libro sobre El ciclo productivo de la sal y las salinas reales a mediados del siglo XIX (2006), Alberto Plata analizaba en detalle más de cien salinas que estaban en funcionamiento a mediados del siglo XIX, antes de que la Corona española aboliera el monopolio de la sal, olvidadas actualmente muchas de ellas, incluso sus escenarios geográficos.En este trabajo el autor maneja con habilidad el análisis regresivo, un instrumento metodológico que nos permite reconstruir la secuencia de las cosas invirtiendo el proceso habitual de investigación, es decir, yendo hacia atrás, partiendo de la más contemporánea de las consecuencias conocidas y retrocediendo a otras inmediatamente anteriores hasta alcanzar los orígenes de todas ellas

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

El Valle Salado de Añana (Araba/Álava): Un ejemplo de buenas prácticas en la recuperación de los paisajes culturales y naturales de la sal

ABSTRACT:The Salt Valley of Añana is located in the Basque Country, about thirty kilometers from its capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. This is a remarkable example of the interaction of man with the environment in the formation of a unique landscape whose origin dates back to the Neolithic, preserved and kept alive for more than 7,000 years, in a dynamic evolution that has allowed it to adapt to rhythms of production that ensure its sustainability. In the process, the minimum resources have been used with the maximum performance in an absolutely sustainable and ecological way applying an ingenious technology. The result is a humanized landscape of 12 hectares, where four kilometers of wooden canals lead the salt water from the springs to the more than five thousand staggered production platforms built with stone, wood and clay, where the sun, the wind and the “Salineros” (saltmen) work together to obtain one of the best salts in the world: Añana Salt. The Salt Valley is a paradigm of a wise and discreet human intervention on the environment, taking advantage of it to the limit. A wonderful example of popular wisdom that is reflected in a landscape of incredible but simple beauty, an example of sustainability and ecological respect, which has also managed to incorporate the new demands of quality, management and uses of contemporary society. A society that is perfectly intertwined with him, that lives it, exploits it, maintains it and enjoys it, implying itself vigorously in his management and that, proud of him, makes the rest of humanity participate.RESUMEN: El Valle Salado de Añana se ubica en el País Vasco, a unos treinta kilómetros de su capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. Se trata de un ejemplo notable de la interacción del hombre con el medio en la formación de un paisaje singular cuyo origen se remonta al Neolítico, conservándose y manteniéndose vivo durante más de 7.000 años, en una evolución dinámica que le ha permitido adaptarse a unos ritmos de producción que aseguran su sustentabilidad. En el proceso se han utilizado los mínimos recursos con el máximo rendimiento de forma absolutamente sostenible y ecológica aplicando una tecnología ingeniosa. El resultado es un paisaje humanizado de 12 hectáreas, donde cuatro kilómetros de canales de madera conducen el agua salada desde los manantiales a las más de cinco mil plataformas de producción escalonadas construidas con piedra, madera y arcilla, donde el sol, el viento y los salineros trabajan de forma conjunta para obtener una de las mejores sales del mundo: la Sal de Añana. El Valle Salado es paradigma de una sabia y discreta intervención humana sobre el entorno, aprovechando éste hasta el límite. Un maravilloso ejemplo de sabiduría popular que se plasma en un paisaje de increíble pero sencilla belleza, ejemplo de sostenibilidad y de respeto ecológico, que ha sabido también incorporar las nuevas exigencias de calidad, gestión y usos de la sociedad contemporánea. Una sociedad que está perfectamente imbricada con él, que lo vive, lo explota, lo mantiene y lo disfruta, implicándose enérgicamente en su gestión y que, orgullosa de él, hace partícipe al resto de la humanidad

La aplicación de la arqueología de la arquitectura a un complejo productivo. El valle salado de Salinas de Añana (Álava)

The archaeological study of the Salinas de Añana forms part of a Director Plan which is being worked on by a group of teams from various disciplines with the aim of creating an instrument for the comprehensive recuperation of these salt flats. The area of historic studies has been designated to the Archaeology of Architecture Research Group of the University of the Basque Country, which has given its priority objective as discovering the historic-constructive evolution of the valley. This information will then make it possible to explain its transformations over history, its diachrony and its phases; in sum, all of the ups and downs that the salt complex has suffered in its 1181 years of documented history.<br><br>El estudio arqueológico de las Salinas de Añana forma parte del Plan Director que está siendo elaborado de manera multidisciplinar por varios equipos con el fin de crear el instrumento clave para su recuperación integral. El conjunto de estudios históricos ha sido encomendado al Grupo de Investigación en Arqueología de la Arquitectura de la Universidad de País Vasco, que se ha planteado como objetivo prioritario conocer la evolución históricoconstructiva del valle, cuyo entendimiento hará posible explicar sus transformaciones a lo largo de la historia, su diacronía sus fases; en definitiva todos los avatares que ha sufrido el complejo salinero a lo largo de sus 1.181 años documentados de historia

El Valle Salado de Añana (Araba/Álava). Un ejemplo de buenas prácticas en la recuperación de los paisajes culturales y naturales de la sal = The Salt Valley of Añana (Araba / Álava). An example of good practices in the recovery of the cultural and natural landscapes of salt

RESUMEN: El Valle Salado de Añana se ubica en el País Vasco, a unos treinta kilómetros de su capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. Se trata de un ejemplo notable de la interacción del hombre con el medio en la formación de un paisaje singular cuyo origen se remonta al Neolítico, conservándose y manteniéndose vivo durante más de 7.000 años, en una evolución dinámica que le ha permitido adaptarse a unos ritmos de producción que aseguran su sustentabilidad. En el proceso se han utilizado los mínimos recursos con el máximo rendimiento de forma absolutamente sostenible y ecológica aplicando una tecnología ingeniosa. El resultado es un paisaje humanizado de 12 hectáreas, donde cuatro kilómetros de canales de madera conducen el agua salada desde los manantiales a las más de cinco mil plataformas de producción escalonadas construidas con piedra, madera y arcilla, donde el sol, el viento y los salineros trabajan de forma conjunta para obtener una de las mejores sales del mundo: la Sal de Añana. El Valle Salado es paradigma de una sabia y discreta intervención humana sobre el entorno, aprovechando éste hasta el límite. Un maravilloso ejemplo de sabiduría popular que se plasma en un paisaje de increíble pero sencilla belleza, ejemplo de sostenibilidad y de respeto ecológico, que ha sabido también incorporar las nuevas exigencias de calidad, gestión y usos de la sociedad contemporánea. Una sociedad que está perfectamente imbricada con él, que lo vive, lo explota, lo mantiene y lo disfruta, implicándose enérgicamente en su gestión y que, orgullosa de él, hace partícipe al resto de la humanidad.ABSTRACT:The Salt Valley of Añana is located in the Basque Country, about thirty kilometers from its capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz. This is a remarkable example of the interaction of man with the environment in the formation of a unique landscape whose origin dates back to the Neolithic, preserved and kept alive for more than 7,000 years, in a dynamic evolution that has allowed it to adapt to rhythms of production that ensure its sustainability. In the process, the minimum resources have been used with the maximum performance in an absolutely sustainable and ecological way applying an ingenious technology. The result is a humanized landscape of 12 hectares, where four kilometers of wooden canals lead the salt water from the springs to the more than five thousand staggered production platforms built with stone, wood and clay, where the sun, the wind and the “Salineros” (saltmen) work together to obtain one of the best salts in the world: Añana Salt. The Salt Valley is a paradigm of a wise and discreet human intervention on the environment, taking advantage of it to the limit. A wonderful example of popular wisdom that is reflected in a landscape of incredible but simple beauty, an example of sustainability and ecological respect, which has also managed to incorporate the new demands of quality, management and uses of contemporary society. A society that is perfectly intertwined with him, that lives it, exploits it, maintains it and enjoys it, implying itself vigorously in his management and that, proud of him, makes the rest of humanity participate

A 2,500-year multi-proxy reconstruction of climate change and human activities in northern Spain: the Lake Arreo record

Lake Arreo sequence (western Ebro Basin, Spain) illustrates the century-scale climatic variability and human interactions in the landscape during the last 2.5 kyr in the low lands of northern Spain. Two sediment cores from shallow-water and deep-water environments were analyzed using sedimentological, geochemical, mineralogical, biological ¿ diatoms, pollen and charcoal content ¿ and radiometric techniques for absolute dating. The shallow-water sequence indicates a rapid evolution from an alluvial-influenced wetland prior to 7th century BC to a wetland during the Ibero-Roman Humid Period (BC 630¿AD 465) and a deeper, carbonate producing lake during the Dark Ages Cold Period (AD 465¿890). The deep-water core shows the transition from a more saline lake during the arid Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA, AD 890¿1300) to less saline, meromictic conditions, particularly since the onset of the Little Ice Age (LIA, AD 1300¿1870). During the last 2.5 kyr, arid conditions occurred prior to 1st century AD, during the MCA and late 19th¿mid 20th century while colder temperatures and relatively more humid conditions were more frequent during the Dark Ages, particularly the 7th century AD and the LIA. The evolution of the lake also reflects changes in grazing and agricultural practices since the Roman Period associated to the exploitation of nearby salt mining. Periods of intense human pressure on the lake watershed occurred during the High Middle Ages (AD 890¿1180) and the Modern Period (AD 1600¿1830).Financial support for this research was provided by the Spanish Inter-Ministry of Science and Technology (CICYT), through the projects LIMNOCLIBER (REN2003-09130-C02-02), IBERLIMNO (CGL2005-20236-E/CLI), LIMNOCAL (CGL2006-13327-C04-01), GLOBALKARST (CGL2009-08415) and GRACCIE (CSD2007-00067). Additional funding was provided by the Aragonese Regional Government–Caja Inmaculada, with a travel grant to GFZ (Potsdam). Provincial Council of Alava and the Basque Water Agency provided institutional permits for fieldwork. We acknowledge Sebastián Perez, Penélope González-Sampériz and Prof. Herb Wright for their valuable comments on the manuscript.Peer Reviewe