Archaeological survey project. Warscapes: documenting the Roman military presence in La Campiña (Sasamón, Burgos) (2017)
Inter oppidum et urbem. Documentation and excavation of indigenous and Roman archaeological contexts in Sasamon (Burgos) (2018)
Excavation of Cerro de Castarreño and archaeological survey in Olmillos de Sasamón (Burgos) (2019)
Location: Sasamón y Olmillos de Sasamón (Burgos).
Dates: 14-27, August 2017 / 16-29, July 2018 / 16-29, September 2019.
Promoter: Ayuntamiento de Sasamón, Ayuntamiento de Olmillos de Sasamón, Diputación de Burgos, Junta de Castilla y León, ADECO Camino, The Leverhulme Trust.
Fieldwork management: Jesús García Sánchez, José Manuel Costa-García (2017-19), Manuel Fernández-Götz and Félix Teichner (2017).
Fieldwork technical staff: João Fonte, Andrés Menéndez Blanco, Laura Blanco Torrejón; Lisa Götz, Manuel J. H. Peters, Florian Hermann, Carlos Cáceres Puerto, Markus Breidenstein, Rachel Cartwright, Krisztian Toth; Jorge Santamaría Treceño; Adrián García Rojo, Eduardo Arancón Torrecilla, Laura Romero.
Other collaborators: –
Aims: Building on the studies previously carried out by Jesús García Sánchez in the area (leading to his doctoral thesis) as well as the contributions of other researchers, we have been developing a series of archaeological interventions sin 2017 with the aim of deepening our knowledge of the archaeological landscapes of the Sasamón region in the transition between the end of the Iron Age and the Roman period. In addition to other interesting sites, the Turmogian oppidum at Cerro de Castarreño, the Roman city of Segisamo and a series of structures identified as Roman camps have been detected in the area. The work carried out to date includes 1) archaeological, metal-detection, aerial and magnetometric surveys of the camps (2017 and 2019); 2) geo-radar and magnetometric surveys, as well as the excavation of the ditch that delimits the northern spur of Cerro de Castarreño (2017-19); 3) aerial and geophysical surveying of the urban fabric of Segisamo; 4) cataloguing and study of the archaeological materials deposited in the church of Santa María de Sasamón.
Results: The archaeological interventions have made it possible to characterise the Carrecastro site as a Roman camp, as well as the collection of material that could be ascribed to the Roman army. Something similar seems to happen with the enclosures of La Veguilla and Santa Eulalia. The excavations in the oppidum of Cerro de Castarreño have allowed us to document a defensive system that dates from the transition from Early to Late Iron Age until the 1st c. BC. From this moment on, the site was abandoned and, according to some material evidences that are still being studied, the Roman military presence would have caused this. Progress has also been made in understanding the urban layout of the Roman city, as well as the suburban network (roads, production centres, infrastructure, etc.).
Literature: You can access to a bibliographic repertoire that gathers the results of our research as they come to light (HERE).
Collaborator institutions/bodies: Grupo de Investigación Síncrisis, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; Instituto de Ciencias del Patrimonio, CSIC; Universiteit Leiden; Philipps Marburg Universität; The University of Edinburgh.
