Hallazgos arqueológicos recientes para el estudio de la presencia militar romana en el oriente gallego

Abstract

En los últimos años hemos asistido a un incremento exponencial del número de evidencias arqueológicas relacionadas con la presencia del ejército romano en el noroeste peninsular. En este trabajo analizamos un conjunto de recintos identificados en el oriente gallego mediante el empleo de una metodología específica que aúna técnicas de teledetección y métodos de prospección arqueológica convencional. Estos yacimientos podrían identificarse como asentamientos militares romanos, de acuerdo con sus particulares características morfo-tipológicas. En las siguientes líneas se describen las estructuras arqueológicas documentadas, se analiza su patrón de asentamiento y se estudian sus relaciones con el territorio circundante con la ayuda de diversas tecnologías de información geográfica. ENG:NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA FOR THE STUDY OF THE ROMAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN EASTERN GALICIAABSTRACTThe archaeological evidence related to the presence of the Roman army in NW Iberia has exponentially increased in recent years. In this paper, we analysed a number of sites identified in the Galician easternmost territories by using a specific methodology which combines remote sensing techniques and conventional archaeological survey methods. These enclosures could be identified as Roman military sites, according to their particular morpho-typological characteristics. The goal of this work is to describe the documented archaeological structures, but also to analyse the settlement pattern of these sites, and to study their relations with the surrounding territory, thanks to the help of various geographic information technologies. KEYWORDSArchaeology; Survey; Remote Sensing; GIS; Fortifications; Roman period; NW Iberia

Following the Roman Army between the Southern Foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains and the Northern Plains of Castile and León (North of Spain): Archaeological Applications of Remote Sensing and Geospatial Tools

“…The camp tends to form a playing-card layout, but its south-eastern side draws curves in order to avoid two depressions (Figure 13(56)). This enclosure shows a corridor entrance, a feature also documented in northwestern Iberia [23]. Another circular structure (c. 20 m in diameter) was documented within the site, close to its northern corner.…”

“…However, our knowledge about its broader geographical connection with Roman military movements is still uncertain. Until now, some military sites had been detected pinpointing E-W routes across the Leonese-Galician mountains, and therefore towards the Galician Atlantic coast [23,25,26]. Nevertheless, those sites are quite far away, having no clear connection with the eight new sites we recently documented.…”

“…These data have an average ground returns of 0.5 points/m 2 . Despite its potential for the detection and characterisation of Roman military sites elsewhere [2,[91][92][93][94], the technology shows certain limitations in zones with anthropogenic landscape modifications and extensive agricultural areas [81,83]. Table 1.…”

“…The potential of other datasets (such as recent vertical aerial coverages, satellite imagery or airborne LiDAR) to identify and study Roman military sites in this area has been explored [81][82][83], although never implemented systematically. Not surprisingly, LiDAR technology has proven its true potential in less anthropised, peripheral areas [25,84] similar to the mountainous zones that have capitalised the research in Roman military archaeology in the last decades.…”

“…20-15 BC-63 AD) and the ala II Flavia (75-late 3rd c. AD) [181,182]. This significant military presence could explain the camp cluster documented at La Chana, a relatively barren land located 8 km to the north of Rosinos de Vidriales following the Roman road known as iter XVII [70,72,83]. All the enclosures documented here are small (1.5-3.3 ha), and their positioning indicates that they are not synchronous elements.…”