Castro del Raso
The Castro del Raso (also Castro de Candeleda or Castro del Freillo ) is a former, partially reconstructed, Celtic fortress in the south of the province of Avila and the autonomous region of Castile-León in central Spain .
location
The only previously known larger Celtic fortress was the Castro del Raso on a hill (Collado del Freillo) on a southern slope of the Sierra de Gredos at an altitude of about 790 m . The archaeological site is a good 14 km (driving distance) west of the small town of Candeleda and about 106 km southwest of the city of Ávila .
history
The mountain fortress belonged to the tribal area of the Vettonen and was probably inhabited from the late Bronze Age until well into the Iron Age (7th to 1st century BC). It was then abandoned in the course of the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula and only rediscovered by archaeologists in 1931.
Archaeological site
In the approx. 2 km long, approx. 3 m thick quarry stone wall with only one access, there are some round structures that have been identified as watch towers or escape towers . The actual archaeological site, about 20 hectares in size, consists mainly of the foundations of several houses, which are also made of rubble stone , but whose windowless walls were made of clay . The gable roofs were made from long branches tied together and covered with straw and / or turf . A cult place or building could not be identified.
necropolis
A cemetery with 123 holes in the ground for urn burials was located in the south of the complex; grave goods (weapons, jewelry and Greek ceramics) were also found here.
Others
Some small finds from the Castro del Raso are exhibited in the Museo de Ávila .
literature
- Fernando Fernández Gómez: Problemas arqueológicos del yacimiento de El Raso de Candeleda (Avila) . In: Trasierra (2) 1997, pp. 81-94. ISSN 1137-5906.
- Fernando Fernández Gómez: La necrópolis de la Edad del Hierro de "El Raso" (Candeleda. Ávila) "Las Guijas, B". Junta de Castilla y León (1997).
Web links
- Castro del Raso - Photos + Info (Spanish)
- Castro del Raso - Photos + Info (Spanish)
Coordinates: 40 ° 10 ′ 58 " N , 5 ° 21 ′ 29" W