Discover Sixty-Six Roman Military Camps in Spain

[guy]

 

 

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Using different remote sensing techniques and open access datasets (mainly aerial photography, satellite imagery, and airborne LiDAR), an international team of archaeologists has discovered 66 Roman military sites of different sizes — used for training and shelter — in the northern fringe of the River Duero basin in León, Palencia, Burgos and Cantabria provinces of Spain.

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The conflict between Romans and locals raged in the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, towards the end of the 1st century BC.

This indicates soldiers crossed between lowlands and uplands, using ridges in the mountains for cover and better protection.

The sheer number of army camps in the area indicates the immense logistical support required to assist soldiers with conquering the area.

Sites were used to assist accessing far-off locations and to help soldiers stay in situ throughout the winter.

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“They reveal the intense Roman activity at the entrance to the Cantabrian Mountains during the last phase of the Roman conquest of Hispania.”

“There is an important concentration of 25 sites along the valleys of northern Palencia and Burgos, as well as southern Cantabria.”

“In the province of León, as many as 41 sites have been documented in different valleys.”

 

Had to look up airborne LiDAR: Airborne LiDAR is installed on a helicopter or drone for collecting data. As soon as it's activated, Airborne LiDAR emits light towards the ground surface, which returns to the sensor immediately after hitting the object, giving an exact measurement of its distance.

 

I had to look up the geography:

(Source: Wikipedia)

 

Archaeology news: New Roman army sites aerial scans have revealed the empire’s bloodiest battles (Image: www.romanarmy.eu)

 

http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/roman-military-camps-spain-09180.html

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1375743/archaeology-news-roman-army-sites-aerial-scans-river-duero-battles-evg

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“Airborne laser scanning gave good results for some sites in more remote places because it showed earthworks really well.”

“Aerial photography worked better in lowland areas for the detection of cropmarks.”

The scientists analyzed aerial photography and satellite images, created 3D models of the terrain from LiDAR data and used drones to create detailed maps of the sites.

This included resources from the Spanish National Geographic Institute and geoportals such as Google Earth or Bing Maps.

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"The remains are of the temporary camps that the Roman army set up when moving through hostile territory or when carrying out manoeuveres around their permanent bases. They reveal the intense Roman activity at the entrance to the Cantabrian Mountains during the last phase of the Roman conquest of Hispania."

There is an important concentration of 25 sites along the valleys of northern Palencia and Burgos, as well as southern Cantabria. In the province of León, as many as 41 sites have been documented in different valleys. These range from small forts of a few hundred square meters to large fortified enclosures of 15 hectares.

Aerial photographs of the camp of Tortolondro (black) (A), the Roman road (white) and the camp (black) 

 

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-discovery-roman-army-sites-clues.html

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Summary: Use of modern technology (from satellite imagery to DNA studies) will continue to enhance our understanding of ancient Rome.  

 

guy also known as gaius

 

Here's a good video about the Roman Conquest in Spain from Ancient Warfare podcast:

 

 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by guy

[caldrail]

No real suprise to me. It's been increasingly obvious in recent years that Britain has plenty of Roman military sites around the country. I mean, the town I live in descends from a work camp used during the building of the Roman road from Calleva Atrebatum to Corinium Dobinorum which would have been used by soldiers working as labourers and artisans.