Incredible hidden Roman city unearthed after being buried for around 2000 years | World | News
The oldest Roman forum found in the Iberian Peninsula, which could be as much as 2,200 years old, is located in the Spanish city of Zaragoza.
The Peninsula, which comprises Spain and Portugal, was conquered by the Romans in 218BC.
The archaeological find at a site called La Cabañeta was of a military camp that became a city. The name of the city is unknown.
The researchers from the University of Zaragoza, found a huge plaza surrounded by a portico and adjacent rooms. The rooms are believed to have been used for commerce.
Borja Díaz, one of the co-directors of the research, explained: “This is a find of exceptional importance”, he said.
“Not only because of its dimensions and architectural complexity but because it is the oldest civic square found in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula to date, whose discovery will contribute to radically transforming our knowledge of the initial phase of the spread of Roman architectural models in Hispania.”
Hispania was the Roman name given to the Peninsula.
The layout of the city is reported to suggest that its main purpose would have been to act as a commercial hub for goods transported via the nearby Ebro River.
The artefacts discovered at the site, including Latin inscriptions, ceramics, and other fascinating materials, suggest that those who lived there predominantly used Latin in their writing and speech.
But, the city most likely met a violent end during the Sertorian Wars.
These conflicts were part of a civil war that gripped Hispania between rebels and the Roman government.
Burned remains and archaeological evidence supports the war as being the demise of the city, suggesting it was destroyed around 70 BCE.