Recently, in Spain, the ruins of a sizable Roman square that was there approximately 2,000 years ago were discovered.
A large Roman forum has been unearthed in Spain, archaeologists said. It is the oldest known plaza on the Iberian Peninsula. Photo from the University of Zaragoza
According to a press statement from the University of Zaragoza, it is the oldest public square that has ever been discovered in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain, Portugal, and some of France.
According to academics, the excavation took place in La Cabaeta, an archaeological site near the Ebro River in northeastern Spain.
It is home to the ruins of a strange, tragic Roman city that was built around 200 B.C. A civil conflict less than a century later resulted in the horrific destruction of the unnamed city.
In July, archaeologists returned to the location after an almost ten-year absence. The central region, where the remnants of a sizable square were discovered, was the focus of their excavation.
According to specialists, a portico with tiles that had been painstakingly built around the buried square. Additionally, there were a number of rooms that were probably utilized for business.
The size and intricate architecture of the discovery make it extremely significant. It will aid researchers in understanding how the Iberian Peninsula, where the Roman Empire previously had several provinces, has adopted Roman architectural styles.
According to co-director of the excavation Borja Daz, the grid-organized city presumably previously operated as a transportation center for traders transporting commodities up and down the river.
However, burned remnants suggest that the city met its demise around the year 70 B.C., Daz told the publication, adding that he hadn't ruled out the prospect of coming across human remains.
According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, the city was destroyed during the Sertorian War, a terrible struggle in contemporary Spain related to the First Roman Civil War.
The study found that confrontations were marked by "assaults and sieges of towns that habitually ended with them being burned to the ground or destroyed, and with severe punishments meted out to the populations."
Numerous large Roman constructions have been discovered all across the Mediterranean. According to information from McClatchy News, a vast Roman-period edifice with hot baths was found in France earlier this year, while a stadium-lake construction from the Roman era was found in Greece in 2022.
