Archaeologists accidentally discover ancient empire: 'Unprecedented find'

Scientists will continue to study unique artifacts

Spanish archaeologists have discovered ancient Roman settlements, which, according to them, could have been the site of a «hidden empire.» The discovered monuments were called unprecedented.

Photo: University of Cádiz

The project began in 2023. Scientists hoped to find at least one settlement in the Sierra de Cádiz region of Spain, but what they saw shocked them even more.

Archaeologists have uncovered 57 sites of «unprecedented character» from the Roman Empire. Researchers believe that all of the newly discovered settlements may have been linked by trade and communication routes in the region.

Scientists are now conducting a second phase of the study to better understand the connections between the sites. This is the first time that ancient Roman settlements in the area have been analyzed in detail.

The archaeologists' scientific interest focused on the settlements in the areas surrounding Arcos de la Frontera, Bornos, Villamartin and Puerto Serrano. It is believed that they may have been connected by the Guadalete River. Based on this, scientists concluded that the settlements were part of a hidden empire.

Using ground-penetrating radar, the researchers studied the structure of the walls of ancient dwellings that were not visible from the surface. According to the Daily Mail, in May, Macarena Lara and her team began excavating the Roman villa of El Canuelo in Bornos in the hope of uncovering the archaeological heritage of the region.

During their work, the researchers discovered that the villa had walls that separated living and working areas. For the first time since their discovery in the 1980s and 1990s, scientists were able to explore other areas of the villa using multispectral cameras. They capture images and colors that are not visible to the naked eye.

The researchers said that these results could help them better understand the presence of the Roman Empire in the Guadalete River Valley more than 2,000 years ago.

The main goal is to study the interaction of the Gulf of Cadiz with the settlement of the Guadalete River basin. Little was known about this until now.

The Daily Mail reminds us that the Romans settled on the Guadalete River after conquering Spain in 264 BC. However, the researchers have not yet been able to determine exactly when the recently discovered structures were built.

Now the scientists want to continue excavations using unconventional methods and tools. In parallel with this, documented materials will be studied. All this will allow us to create the most complete picture of the possibly existing ancient empire.