Professor María Eugenia Aubet Semmler (Barcelona, April 30, 1943—Sant Celoni, Barcelona, February 17, 2024)

The first time I saw Professor María Eugenia Aubet was at the University of Valencia. I am not certain of the year, perhaps 1988 or 1989. She gave a lecture in which she presented the main lines of her acclaimed book Tiro y las colonias de Occidente (1987). What I remember from that moment was her magnetism, her warmth, and how she was able to communicate and involve her audience in her argument. She left a lasting impression on me and remained the subject of conversation among my classmates for several days. However, as a famous scholar, she seemed too important; and I was a simple student too shy to approach her. It is also true that at the time the Phoenicians were not my foremost field of study. I was more interested in underwater archaeology and the ancient Near East.A couple of years later, in the spring of 1991, circumstances led to a memorable encounter with her. The situation surrounding this meeting was rather amusing. By chance, during my fourth year at the university, I found myself tasked with preparing an essay on the Phoenician diaspora across the Mediterranean. Initially intending to focus on Tartessos, I found someone had beaten me to it. Intrigued, I curiously turned my attention to the subject. Naturally, my primary reference was Aubet’s book. Immersed in its pages, I found myself captivated, and that fascination has stayed with me ever since.Also, for me it was the best option: after all, Phoenicians came from the Levant, they traveled in ships, and settled in Spain. What more could I ask for?In a letter to Professor Aubet, I expressed my interest in participating in her excavations at El Cerro del Villar in Málaga, and she responded promptly and positively. Around the same time, another influential figure in my academic life, the late Professor Milagros Gil-Mascarell, Mila, who was aware of my passion for Near Eastern archaeology, facilitated an introduction to Professor Aubet without my knowledge. As a result, she invited me to visit her in Barcelona. It was my first visit to the city, and it presented a challenge. From the Estació del Nord, I navigated the then unfamiliar streets of Barcelona until I arrived at her home. Upon welcoming me, Professor Aubet remarked on the growing interest in Phoenicians in Valencia, mistakenly assuming that I and the student of the letter were two different people. Amusingly, she later quipped that if I persisted in addressing her as “Professor Aubet,” I would have to walk back to Valencia. So, with a casual como quieras, María Eugenia, we settled into her living room, nestled next to a large window overlooking a typical interior courtyard in Barcelona’s Eixample. We spent hours engrossed in conversation, punctuated by smoking and sipping coffee—her sole culinary offering, as she playfully insisted.As I left her apartment, I departed with more than just enrollment in an excavation in Cyprus, my beloved Khirokitia. I also left with several books, dozens of reprints (that was long before the time of PDFs), and a lack of cigarettes. But most importantly, I realized that I had entered into a new phase of my life, with María Eugenia becoming a significant reference point from that moment onward.Several months later, in December, I had the opportunity to participate in her excavations at El Cerro del Villar. This marked the beginning of my collaboration with María Eugenia, a partnership that reached its zenith during the initial campaign at the Iron Age cemetery of al-Bass in Tyre. We often reflected on how this experience profoundly altered the course of our lives. From that point on, nothing remained the same, and our connection to the city, the country, and its people became an indispensable aspect of our existence.All this time I had the fortune of knowing and collaborating with Professor Aubet. She has been, is, and will remain a preeminent authority in the study of the ancient Mediterranean. She is revered for her insights into the societies of the dynamic first millennium BC. An indefatigable worker with vivid curiosity, a genuine taste for adventure, always eager to learn, and a profound grasp of both theoretical principles and practical applications, she displays an invaluable capability for synthesis. Her privileged vision enables a deep understanding of the contexts in which social phenomena unfold, particularly in comprehending the Phoenician diaspora across the Mediterranean and Phoenician interactions with local communities. Especially relevant is her perceptive analysis of the background of the various players involved and the contexts in which their interactions occurred, as well as her understanding of the socioeconomic dynamics that ensued and their repercussions.María Eugenia was shaped by her time, committed to progressive ideals: freedom, solidarity, the defense of her rights as a woman, and the defense of the oppressed against injustice. During her era, she navigated her career within the confines of the late Franco regime’s academic environment. This experience molded her into a rebel against the establishment and its representatives, someone who stood her ground regardless of the consequences. She embodied these ideals in her everyday life at the university, always acting more as a mentor than a professor. María Eugenia was approachable to her own students and those from other universities, her door remained open to anyone with questions or in need of sound advice. This is a well-known fact among a large number of students and colleagues who benefited from her guidance and support throughout their academic journeys and beyond.María Eugenia pursued her studies at the University of Barcelona under the mentorship of Professor Joan Maluquer de Motes, chair in prehistory and an eminent archaeologist, who specialized in the pre- and protohistory of the Iberian Peninsula. Professor Maluquer’s profound studies of the Tartessian culture deeply influenced María Eugenia, and Tartessos became a central focus of her own research. This initial interest later expanded into investigations of Phoenician presence in the Iberian Peninsula and beyond, throughout the Mediterranean and ultimately to their homeland.Furthermore, Professor Maluquer’s meticulous approach to methodology and his expansive vision of archaeology as an integral part of history left a profound mark on María Eugenia, significantly impacting her scholarly work and leaving an enduring impression on her students. Additionally, her time studying at the Universities of Rome and Tübingen proved instrumental in shaping her education and perspective within the discipline.After her graduation and her doctorate with honors, Professor Aubet started her academic career in the Spanish Council of Higher Scientific Research (CSIC) in Barcelona in the 1970s. In 1982 she became the chair of the Department of Prehistory at the University of Málaga, a position she occupied there for a short period of time, and then at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Finally, in the early 1990s, she was appointed chair of prehistory at the newly created Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona, a position she held until her retirement.Over these years, Professor Aubet directed and coordinated numerous and well-considered research projects, funded by national and regional institutions. She conducted important work in the Tartessian necropolis of Setefilla (Seville), the Phoenician enclave of Las Chorreras (Málaga), the Phoenician cemetery of Lagos (Málaga), and, especially, the settlement of El Cerro del Villar (Málaga), as well as the Iron Age cemetery of al-Bass and the acropolis of Tyre (Lebanon). Her meticulous methodological approach and expansive vision were indispensable for her excavations.Aubet’s scholarly attention extended beyond the confines of the sites she excavated, encompassing broader aspects of archaeological investigation such as environmental and economic analysis or cultural interaction, among others. Also, her projects extended beyond pure research and included initiatives to promote solidarity and collaboration between Mediterranean official institutions and universities. One notable example was the Med-Campus Odysseus project, funded by the European Union, which ran from 1994 to 1997 and aimed to safeguard Lebanese heritage in the aftermath of the civil war. This initiative provided support to Lebanese institutions and facilitated the training of new generations of Lebanese archaeologists.A key aspect of Professor Aubet’s career was the promotion of information exchange. She was a member of numerous scientific committees, notably the International Congress of Phoenician and Punic Studies, founded by Professor Sabatino Moscati and considered the most important gathering of specialists in this field. In addition, she played a significant role in translating some of the most influential reference works in ancient studies and archaeology into Spanish, particularly through her collaboration with Barcelona’s Bellaterra publishing house. Furthermore, she founded the journal Cuadernos de Arqueología Mediterranea, providing a platform for the dissemination of archaeological projects and theoretical approaches.María Eugenia was a prolific author, with a vast body of work that includes articles, contributions to multiauthor volumes, edited collections, and books. Her literary output ranges from highly scientific titles to works intended for a more general audience. Among them, two references are familiar to the English-speaking public: The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies and Trade (1993; 2nd ed., 2001), which is the translation into English of her above-mentioned Tiro y las colonias de Occidente, and Commerce and Colonization in the Ancient Near East (2013), both published by Cambridge University Press. In her works, she consistently demonstrates her genuine ability to synthesize complex ideas into readable and understandable sentences. Moreover, in her lectures, speeches, and even conversations, María Eugenia always exuded a magnetism that captured the audience’s attention. I recall one occasion at a congress in Beirut in 2017 when she was asked to repeat her presentation.Professor Aubet not only enjoyed the respect and admiration of students and colleagues alike but also the recognition of the official institutions. She has received notable accolades, including the Distinction from the Generalitat of Catalonia for the Promotion of University Research in 2005, the Narcis Monturiol Medal in 2009, the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica in 2015, and the Medal of Merit in Fine Arts, awarded by the Council of Ministers of Spain in 2019.I consider myself fortunate to have known her, and in our relationship spanning more than thirty years I perpetually felt like a student in her presence. María Eugenia was not only my mentor but also my scientific mother—a figure whose influence extended far beyond our professional collaboration. Her passing leaves an irreplaceable void in the field of Mediterranean studies. I myself have lost a guiding reference. María Eugenia’s absence is keenly felt.