From the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD, Baetica was one of the Imperial Roman provinces. This geographical area was famous for the production of metals, oil and cereals, and also because its inhabitants were strongly influenced by the Roman way of life. In spite of the Roman influence, they maintained their customs and traditions. One example of the influence was the rise to power of two emperors from Baetica between the 1st and the 2nd centuries AD: Trajan und Hadrian, both born in the Italica.
Within this area, the Vega de Granada held a strategic position, located between eastern and the western Andalusia –(Bastetania and Turdetania), which together with the fertile lands made the province of Granada a key point of Baetica. For the first time, Julio Miguel Román Punzón, a researcher of the Department of Prehistory and Archaeology at the Universidad de Granada, has studied the role of the Vega de Granada during the Classical Period of the Roman Empire.
His work has been conducted at the archaeological site Cerro de la Mora, located in the municipality of Moraleda de Zafayona, one of the most important and representative municipalities in the Vega de Granada. By a thorough analysis, the researcher has determined that this archaeological site is a rural agglomeration (in Latin “vicus”) located next to the most important Roman road in the province of Granada: the road connecting Iliberris (Granada) with Anticaria (Antequera). This road made it possible to connect the Phoenician manufacturing centres on the coast of Malaga on the one side, and the Guadalquivir river valley on the other side.
According to the analysis of Julio Miguel Román, the archaeological remains founded in Cerro de la Mora demonstrate that the inhabitants of this enclave had intense commercial and cultural relations with western Andalusia (Turdetania), much more elaborate than those with eastern Andalusia (Bastetania), probably due to a stronger cultural affinities with Turdetania. His work, which has included the study of important ceramic products, has also demonstrated that inhabitants of Cerro de la Mora were reluctant to adopt Roman customs and remained faithful to their own traditions and lifestyles.
Pictures: Roman-Iberian House and ceramics found in the archaeological site Cerro de la Mora, in the municipality of Moraleda de Zafayona (Granada).
Reference
Julio Miguel Román Punzón. Department of Prehistory and Archaeology of the Universidad de Granada
Phone number: 958 243 611. Mobile Phone: 619 227 380.
Email Address: romanp@ugr.es
