Archeologists Discover Ancient Forum in Spain, Call It 'Heart' of a Roman City
Archeologists have recently found an ancient Roman forum on the slopes of the Cerro de la Mora. The discovery in the Roman city has been deemed important by experts because it proves that the prediction made by 18th-century local scholar, Juan Vegazo, after finding the particular archeological site true, Newsweek reported. The excavations were conducted by a team from the University of Granada (UG) at Ocuri, a Roman city located near the modern town of Ubrique in Spain.
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Analysis revealed that the city dates back to around 6th Century B.C., The Archaeologist reported. The forum reportedly functioned as the bustling center of Roman life in Ocuri. The city reached its peak in terms of vitality during the 2nd Century A.D., according to experts.
UG archeologist, Macarena Bustamante Álvarez, claims that the forum served as the center of commercial, political, and religious activities in the establishment. She went ahead and called the forum the 'heart' of the city.
The city was unearthed in the late 18th Century by Vegazo, The Archaeologist reported. At the time of the finding, he suspected that the central terrace served as a forum for the city. Then, there wasn't enough evidence to validate this claim. Recent excavations have proved his theory to be correct.
Though the city was discovered long back, the forum remained hidden, the Miami Herald reported. Before excavations, only the enclosure walls of the central square were visible. Investigations have now unearthed evidence of large public buildings on the site.
Researchers located bases and shafts of columns, a monumental altar, and remnants of thermal baths, houses, and funerary monuments in the forum. These architectural elements were usually put in place by Romans in areas that were multipurpose in nature, like a forum. This backs up Vegazo's claim that a forum functioned at his discovered site as the political and social center of the city.
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Before the excavations, the city was believed to have been occupied since the 5th Century, The Archaeologist reported. Researchers found coins on the site, which bore early Christian symbols, belonging to the late 4th Century. This made experts expand the timeline of Ocuri's occupation.
The revelation impacts what experts understand about the Roman influence on the Iberian Peninsula because the discovery indicates that Romans were present in the area since the fourth century. Hence, assertions regarding that time need to be revisited in the context of Roman influence, according to the researchers.