Roman military camp discovery clarifies conquest of northern Spain

Archaeologists from the Universidad de León discovered a 1.7 hectare Roman military camp in La Ercina, Spain, near the Iron Age settlement of La Peña del Castro.

This finding provides new evidence regarding the Cantabrian Wars, a series of military campaigns led by Emperor Augustus between 29 and 19 before Christ to complete the Roman conquest of Hispania. The team identified the camp as a strategic position used to besiege and conquer local indigenous communities.

By analyzing the site, researchers determined that Roman troops likely advanced along the northern slope to attack the settlement. The site shows evidence of intense fires that destroyed important structures, including two temples. Eduardo González Gómez de Agüero, a co-director of the excavation, suggests that Romans may have deliberately demolished certain buildings to sever the community's ties to its land.

The camp features a quadrangular layout with a stone wall 1.5 meters wide and an internal earthen platform 12 meters wide that served as a walkway. Excavations revealed military studs and weapon remains, confirming the presence of soldiers. Carlos Fernández, director of the History and Archaeology group at the Universidad de León, stated that the find helps explain how the conquest occurred in the Leonese Cantabrian region, where links between Roman camps and Iron Age settlements were previously poorly documented.