At the end of last August, archaeological prospecting began in the Bóveda mountains, in Vilar de Barrio, with the aim of confirming the remains that would confirm the presence of a castro and a castle. Also to contrast the hypothesis of the existence in this place of the largest defensive system in the region of A Limia. Archaeologists of Xeitura – in collaboration with the Council of Vilar de Barrio – have completed this past week – and in the absence of polishing the last details related to the registration and planimetry – the proposed investigations concluding great and positive results, as the director of the project, Martiño Vázquez, specifies. “We fixed a total of six archaeological probes, four of which were positive. We found various types of archaeological material and, in two of them, remains of a fairly residual occupation of the site, such as walls of old plots and buildings. In the other two we found the upper floor of a construction made of wood and part of the original castro wall, as well as archaeological remains dating from the time when the castro was occupied, including a type of Roman amphora”, explains the archaeologist. The latter has made it possible to determine that the settlement is at least 2,000 years old – Iron Age – and that it was Romanised.
A variety of pottery and iron and bronze foundries were also found at the site, which also indicates that there was significant metallurgical activity at the site. “A maiores apareceu unha conta de colar moi bonita e feita en pasta vítrea que hai que analizala ben no laboratorio”, asegura Vázquez, quien precisa que podría tratarse de una “conta oculada púnica” que podría apuntar a la existencia de un comercio con el mediterráneo. “The people who lived there maintained commercial contact with the people of the south of the Iberian Peninsula,” explains the archaeologist. “Under the mountain there is an authentic 2,000 year old city and everything is yet to be discovered. It is a fantastic place”, he adds.
The surveys carried out in the part of the castle were intended to elucidate the size of the archaeological site, which could turn this place into the largest fortress in A Limia. Although they also revealed the existence of archaeological remains, it is not yet possible to determine whether this is the largest defensive system in A Limia, as the dating of this other part is still unclear. “Sexa de un modo, o de outro, estamos falando dun xacemento monumental. It is an extension of more than 10 hectares”, says Martiño Vázquez.
The intervention will be completed with a series of informative activities directed to all the neighbourhood -the dates will be announced soon-.
Source: La Región
