Where do we come from, where are we going?
As human beings we consider the origin of life from various perspectives. At first these were of a particularly mythical and religious nature, but the advent of philosophy led us on to more scientific explanations. On the other hand, the human species has always demonstrated a great capacity for adaptation, for synthesis, for creation, for awareness and for communication through language. This has brought us to a level of technicality capable of reaching unimaginable goals. Intelligence has allowed us a new form of adaptation through culture, which moves much faster than biological adaptation. Different societies and cultures have followed different paths in creating a story about the organisation of existence and its relationship with its surroundings.
The awareness that life has a beginning and an end has always been present in human beings, and this fact has conditioned the relationship they have established with their environment. Heaven, earth, mountains, rivers, seas, animals and plants have been recreated and assigned to a set of more or less complex rituals, beliefs and deities.
The way in which we deal with death and especially what happens next has been one of the key elements addressed by all religious forms. In this way, while responding to fears and essential questions, it unites the community and strengthens its spiritual needs. In addition, the belief in the afterlife, in life after death and the worship of the dead have often been used as a powerful tool of control at the service of the power.
The present-day Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia – Girona, heir to the old Sant Pere de Galligants Museum, houses the most important archaeological collections from the Girona region. The objects displayed in the exhibition take us on a journey from the origins of life to the moment of death, from the Palaeolithic to the Visigothic, through some forty archaeological sites in this region. It is a unique tour, not only for the shared experience, but also for the excitement of discovering the most important places in Girona’s archaeology (both on land and underwater). They invite you to stroll through them and enjoy the places as a source of knowledge about our historical past.
