The Roman quarries of the town and territory of Los Bañales (Uncastillo, Zaragoza, Spain)

• Anna Gutiérrez García-Moreno ^{[4] [1]} ; Hernando Royo Plumed ^{[4] [2]} ; J. Andreu ^[3]
  1. [1] Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

     Barcelona, España

     
  2. [2] Universidad de Zaragoza

     Universidad de Zaragoza

     Zaragoza, España

     
  3. [3] Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

     Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

     Madrid, España

     
  4. [4] Institut Català d'Arqueologia Clàssica

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• Localización: Interdisciplinary studies on ancient stone: proceedings of the IX Association for the Study of Marbles and Other Stones in Antiquity (ASMOSIA) Conference (Tarragona 2009) / coord. por Anna Gutiérrez García-Moreno, María Pilar Lapuente Mercadal, Isabel Rodà de Llanza, 2012, ISBN 978-84-939033-8-1, págs. 651-656
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The importance of the archaeological site of Los Bañales (Uncastillo, Zaragoza, Spain), as the imposing archaeological remains preserved (aqueduct, funerary monuments, "thermae", forum, etc.) and the remarkable epigraphic repertoire of its territory suggest, is reinforced by its role as centre of a dispersed habitat, in form of "villae", at a region of great agricultural potential. Located nearby the Roman route that linked Caesar Augusta (modern Zaragoza) with Pompelo (modern Pamplona), it flourished during Roman times between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. However, a pre-Roman settlement probably existed already and 4th century AD pottery has been discovered there as well. In this context, the abundant use of local stone as raw material, not only for construction purposes but also as epigraphic support, stands out. It is a Miocenic, brown sandstone that crops out profusely in the zone. It appears in horizontal layers alternated with clay and silt deposits, which facilitates its extraction. As a first approach to the exploitation of stone resources in this territory, a survey has been conducted. So far, up to four points showing evidence of extraction have been identified. They are Punta Sampe, el corral de la Pesquera, Las Viñas and the way up to Los Bañales. Besides, a group of abandoned, roughly-hewn blocks near Punta Sampe extraction point has been identified, which might indicate the existence of a quarry workshop. The location of these quarries, in the environs either of the ruban centre of Los Bañales or next to some of the "villae" scattered throughout the territory, as well as the absence of large quarries that might have supplied the constructive programs of the city seem to point towards a dispersed pattern of exploitation of stone resources rather than a centralized one