GIS AND ROMAN WAYS RESEARCH IN HISPANIA. · Milles de la Polvorosa (Zamora, SPAIN). ... The base map of the geodatabase designed to address the research project, integrates the

GIS and roman ways research in Hispania José Luis Vicente González

ESRI European User Conference 2011. Madrid (Spain), October 26-28, 2011. 1 | P a g e

GIS AND ROMAN WAYS RESEARCH IN HISPANIA.

José Luis Vicente González Forestry engineer. GIS consultant

Milles de la Polvorosa (Zamora, SPAIN). [email protected]

∗ Translation from the original Spanish text made by the author with the invaluable help of Google Translator. If

you can understand without trouble the content of the communication, thank the technicians from Google; otherwise, download the blame on the speaker and its pitiful knowledge of English grammar.

** This paper was excerpted from a longer article published in the Proceedings of the “Tenth International Conference of Hispanic Roads", held in Madrid in June 2010. The original text (in Spanish) is available in the next URL: http://www.jlvg.es/Publicaciones.asp

ABSTRACT

Geographic Information Systems are a very powerful tool to explore the configuration of

the existing road network in times past, but the possibilities in this sense hardly been exploited so far.

The communication is intended to describe a GIS project specifically designed to investigate the development of road network in the western Northern Plateau of Spain during the Ancient Age.

In the first part of the same, details the project structure and the content and usefulness of the different layers of information in it.

Finally, we discuss the results to the present time by the research, including the location of the paths of the main Roman routes that defined the current province of Zamora and neighboring areas, the situation of the mansiones and mutationes that mark out the roads, and the location of the main quarries used to build them.

KEYWORDS: GIS, roman ways, Antonino Itinerary, Hispania, west of Castile and León.

1. Introduction. The study of the communication network implemented by Rome in Hispania is offered as

a fascinating research topic, among other interesting aspects, the projection that the infrastructure would have on the future of the territories where they displayed two millennia ago. The cornerstone of which is the starting point for the study of the Roman road network in any of the current countries that once formed part of the Latin world, has always been a paper entitled ITINERARIUM ANTONINI AUGUSTI PROVINCIARUM, more commonly known as the name of Antonino Itinerary.

In order to clarify for readers less familiar with the study of the Roman road network the content and scope of the information collected in the Antonino Itinerary, basic documentary source of information for our work, is included below a brief text of Dr. Blázquez Martínez where clarify the issues discussed.

mailto:[email protected]�

http://www.jlvg.es/Publicaciones.asp�



"The Antonino Itinerary is the most important document on Spanish roads in Roman times. Presumably, this Antonino is the emperor Caracalla, because the tracks layout of Britain can’t be earlier than the 53-54 years of this emperor. This allocation is arbitrary, since some of the data referred to this Route are a hundred years later. It is thought that the original of this document can be traced to the second century AD, on the reign of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, and would have undergone a merger, constant tweaks and additions in the fourth century. The most authoritative opinions date the originals in the early years of Emperor Diocletian, in the late 280 AD. Among researchers there is a widespread perception that the itinerary is a kind of guide or official record of the Roman Empire roads; according to others opinions, is a list of mansiones in relation to the collection of Annona. This hypothesis is based on the fact that for some provinces such as Hispania, Gaul and Britain, the routes leading to the legionary camps, in the case of Spain to the camp of Legio VII Gemina (León). More than an official document, it’s like a private relationship related with the army, the mail services or the public works. Some argue that the itinerary is a 'library work', a compilation of several documents. It is, in any case, a unique document about the geography of Roman times, with precise description of roads and routes. The schematic drawing of the work is simple: the Itinerary lists the general heading of a particular road, the point of departure and arrival and the total number of miles, to what follows the enumeration of the intermediate distance between mansiones. In Hispania describes 34 routes, but omits some important roads known to milestones. The Itinerary presents the Spanish roman road network like a backbone similar to a cross, with roads that cross the entire territory of the Iberian Peninsula, linking the main roman domain centers. Three roads that enter through the Pyrenees leads to the camp of Legio VII Gemina, two others arrive to Arturica Augusta and Castulo, major mining centers" (BLÁZQUEZ MARTÍNEZ J. M.: "Vías e itinerarios: de la antigüedad a la Hispania romana", en ABÁSOLO J.A. (ed.), Viaje por la historia de nuestros caminos, Madrid 1997, 5-67). To date, most of researchers thought that the information contained in the Antonino Itinerary, suffered from repeated and serious errors, that prevented use this font to rebuild, with a minimum accuracy, of many of the routes that collects. According to our research, supported by use of GIS technology, this assumption is wrong, and the distances between mansiones that have preserved the Itinerary seem to be almost always correct or to have minimal deviations from reality. The geographical area where he focuses the study includes the west of the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, which belongs administratively to the autonomous community of Castile and León. This community, with total area 94,223 km2, is the largest region of Spain and third in the European Union. Castile and León preserves for just over 60% of total cultural heritage of Spain, which includes the highest concentration of Romanesque art in the world. The GIS project that supports the study extends its coverage throughout all the territory of Castilia and León.

FIG 1: ANTONINO ITINERARY:

EDITION OF 1656.



2. Description of the GIS project. The software used for to tackle this study, which began in 2006, includes version 9.3.1 of

the ArcGIS application, in their ArcEditor license, and the two extensions: Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst, especially focused on the management of digital models elevation and its derivatives (slope maps, hypsometric models, 3D visualization, etc.), and other information in raster format.

The base map of the geodatabase designed to address the research project, integrates the 851 National Topographic Map digital sheets at 1/25.000 (MTN25) corresponding to Community of Castile and León, in both raster and vector modes (BCN25). The MTN25 is a product developed by the National Geographic Institute (IGN), which is distributed through the National Center for Geographic Information (CNIG).

The design of the data base vector map 1:25,000 (Fig. 2) is based on the BTN25 structure, prepared and published by IGN in 2009 (v 1.0, 28/05/2009). This structure includes 10 tracks that are subdivided into categories and types of cartographic elements, whose complexity varies according to the attributes defined in each item. The project geodatabase organizes basic mapping territorial in 10 Features Data Set, and 35 files or Feature Class, which are stored in each Feature Data Set according to the existing thematic similarities. In the geodatabase were defined 72 unique values domains for basic mapping, which correspond to the attributes described in the BTN25 Data Model. In each data file were created two fields called Subtype and Domain. In the first of these, we set default values and domains. The Domain field store the valid attributes to be placed in the registers of the table.

FIG 2: 1:25,000 SCALE TOPOGRAPHIC BASE MAP DATA MODEL.



Has been added a third field to each file named Name to store the identification of the different spatial elements or entities, such as river names, names of towns, names of highways, roads, etc.

Vector data stored in the geodatabase also includes several layers of thematic mapping,

whose components most relevant to the aim of the project are described briefly below. Geological Mapping: The geological information is very useful for the study of the Roman road network, as it is an essential support to identify corridors through which run the roads and for locate possible quarries used in its construction. In our case, we chose load in our project the geological map prepared by Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) in the framework of initiative GEODE. The Plan GEODE is the institutional support for the generation of a geological continuous detailed map of Spain. Geological mapping of each region GEODE has his fundamental reference in information provided for the national geological map 1:50,000 scale. For the generation of the different regions GEODE, also used contributions from other sources, among which is obligatory mentioned the 1:25,000 topographic base map of IGN reworked specifically for the plan, geological mapping at other scales, geological mapping of local coverage, provincial coverage and regional coverage, the maps derived from synthesis, and doctoral theses and other documentation from publications, reports and books. The project GEODE has its own data model, very well systematized, in ArcGIS format. This model was joined as is to the structure of the geodatabase that we are describing (Fig 4).

FIG. 3: THE PROJECT LOADED IN ARCMAP 9.3.1.



Historical Cartography: Thematic information loaded into the system specifically related to the Roman road network, includes the own roads that were identified, and the location of the archeological sites most relevant for our research: Iron Age sites, Roman sites, remains of Visigoth domination period and High Middle Ages sites. Information concerning archaeological sites was obtained from an alphanumeric database, provided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the government of Castile and León. To georreference this information, we used two fields of each record of the master table that store the geographical coordinates of the site in sexagesimal format (longitude and latitude). With the help of very useful functionality included in the ArcGIS help were transformed coordinates in sexagesimal notation to decimal notation, the format used by ArcGIS. The integration of archaeological information was completed with the development of a structure of subtypes and domains, embedded in the geodatabase, which allows easy access to this information, selectively, for all types of query (Fig. 5). Toponymy of roman roads: The planimetrys of the 1/50.000 scale topographic base map, the finals sheets of this map, the Archaeological Inventory of Castile and León, and various other sources provided a valuable information about places names, with which addressed the development of a thematic layer specifically focused on designations referred to roman roads, today still open to new additions, whose nucleus was obtained filtering with ArcGIS the 391 names alluding to roman roads included at BCN25 base map, inside of the nine provinces of Castile and León. These 391 names are scattered among a total of 317,333 records of names of places and locations in the base map.

FIG. 4: ARCMAP DATA VIEW, SHOWING GEODE GEOLOGICAL LAYERS, IN THE AREA WHERE WAS PLACED THE CIVITAS OF OCELO DVRI (WHITE CIRCLE)

AND OTHER SURROUNDING AREAS. THE YELLOW AREA IS THE PLACE WHERE WERE LOCATED THE QUARRIES USED BY THE ROMANS TO BUILD ITS CIVITAS, AND ROADS THAT COMMUNICATED WITH IT IN ANCIENT AGE. INSIDE THE RED BOX IS LOCATED THE HILL NAMED TESO DEL VISO, LOCATION

OF PRINCIPAL SITE OF THE VACCEOS PEOPLE IN THIS REGION, BESIDE DUERO RIVER, PRIOR TO ROMAN CONQUEST.



Other layers of vector information specifically useful for research include cadastral mapping, used to accurately position some archeological sites with uncertain location, because don't have coordinates or includes coordinates erroneous; the potential vegetation, that make it possible to imagine the vegetal cover 2,000 years ago, or the location of the castles and monasteries, generally located beside of the most important Roman roads.

In the raster information is concerned, were loaded into the system, once properly

georeferenced, the 239 raster sheets of the first editions of the scale 1:50,000 Base Map of Spain, that cover the Castilian-Leonese territory. These sheets were published by IGN between 1877 and 1963. Also were loaded into the project the planimetrys used for the implementation of the sheets above mentioned. The planimetrys mentioned, made with traditional surveying methods, proved of indispensable use for our analysis, because their scale is more detailed than the map for which were there made (scale 1:25.000 with equidistance curves of ten meters), and have a volume of data and toponyms significantly higher than for 1/50.000 sheets finally published.

The vast majority of 1/25.000 scale planimetry with whom we have worked so far been prepared by the IGN surveyors between 1901 and 1910, at a time that only fragmented the natural landscape existent into the study area the infrastructures inherited from time immemorial (in practice, only a few roads and reservoirs in very extense territory). This information proved especially valuable for the purposes of the study (Fig. 6).

FIG. 5: HISTORICAL LAYERS: ROMAN ROADS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES OF SIMILAR AGE, CLASSIFIED BY TIPOLOGY.



The system also integrates more than 41,000 images of the territory of high definition, from

flights made between 1956 and 2009 (Fig. 7). The earliest flights could were obtain were developed by the U.S. Army Map Service

(1956-1957) and the IRYDA-IGN (1977-1983). Since 2004, the orthophotos of our country at the national level are generated in the framework of the National Plan for Air Orthophotography (PNOA), promoted jointly by the Government of Spain, through the Ministry of Development, and Communities autonomous. The government of Castile and León has, in addition, several regional flights that cover the entire regional surface or certain local areas, made during the period between 1998 and 2002.

In most cases they are geo-referenced orthophotos with sub metric accuracy. However, the earliest flights available (before 1990) are composed for frames with conical projection, whose georeferencing is quite deficient. Despite shortcomings, these flights were very valuable to the investigation, because they showing the territory when this does not yet have the big artificial changes caused by modern land consolidation and the extraordinary proliferation of new infrastructure which started in Spain during the last quarter twentieth century.

Below is a chart that lists the flights of provincial and regional geographical cover collected for the study (Table 1).

FIG 6: PLANIMETRY NO. 490158 (FUENTESPREADAS), COLLECTING AN INTERESTING PLACE NAME IN THE CORRIDOR OF ROUTE 24 (CAMINO DE SANTIAGO OR CAMINO DE SALAMANCA), OMITTED AT 1/50.000 SCALE PUBLISHED FINAL SHEET AND POSTERIOR MAPPING. THE PLANIMETRY WAS SIGNED BY THE SURVEYOR THAT PERFORMED THE FIELD WORK WITH DATE 29/12/1908, AND WAS REVIEWED

BY THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE SIXTH BRIGADE WITH DATE 30/04/1909.



TABLE 1. PHOTOGRAMMETRIC FLIGHTS JOINED THE PROJECT. FLIGHT YEAR OF FLIGHT Nº IMAGES PIXEL SIZE (cm)

USAMS (SERIE B) 1956-57 8.003 100 IRYDA-IGN 1977-83 39* 100

MAPA 1997 1.377 70 JCyL-CAG 1999-01 1.605 70 JCyL-CMA 2001 693 60 JCyL-CMA 2001 183 50 JCyL-CMA 2001-02 467 55

MAPA-SIGPAC 2002 8.246 50 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2004 3.123 25 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2004 744 50 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2005 3.245 25 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2005 857 50 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2006 2.844 25 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2006 459 50 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2007 3.348 25 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2007 855 50 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2008 4.371 25 IGN-JCyL (PNOA) 2008 711 50

∗ This flight was only partially loaded.

Some of the raster information so far referred was loaded directly into the geodatabase through Raster Datasets (published maps scanned) and Raster Catalogs (1/25,000 scale planimetrys and conical perspective frames). However, most of orthoimagery was stored outside the geodatabase, so to facilitate quick access was developed an integrated charger in the ArcMap document of the project (see Figure 3).

FIG 7: ORTHOIMAGE OF TESO DE LA MORA (FLIGHT PNOA 2007, PIXEL 25x25 cm). IT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE QUARRY EXPLOITED BY THE ROMANS, THE DECANTER OF AQUEDUCT THAT SUPPLIED DRINKING WATER TO THE WORKERS, THEIR GUARDIANS AND THE DRAFT ANIMALS THAT MOVE THE STONE EXTRACTED TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION (THE ROMAN ROADS), AND

THE ORTHOGONAL ENIGMATIC STRUCTURE THAT COULD VERY WELL BE THE ROOM AREA AND THE SITE WHERE LIVESTOCK WERE STOKED. THIS PLACE STILL HAS A VERY SUGGESTIVE NAME: DEHESA OF CARRICUEVA (CARRICUEVA=CAVE OF THE WAGONS).



The GIS integrates also a powerful Digital Elevation Model (DEM) based on a grid of 5x5 meters, generated by the Institute of Agricultural Technology of the Government of Castile and León (ITACyL) with the raw data obtained from PNOA. A layer directly derivate from the DEM which is worth noting, for its undeniable usefulness to study of the ancient roads network is the Reflectance Model of very high resolution that we have been using since 2009. This model, developed by the ITACyL, highlights, with sharpness difficult to overcome, smallest terrain features that determines the configuration of the road network, allowing differentiation without a shadow of doubt of the roads suitable for traffic of wagon of those whose outstanding at certain points of the route does not allow this use, and to discriminate in this way, paths with a clear vocation to be a Roman road of those who do not have this quality (Fig. 8).

In relation to what was indicated at the end of the last paragraph, it is important to remark that, in accordance with the methodology used in this study, only consider valid alternatives the existing roads before land consolidation whose ancient existence is possible verify on mapping, discarding invent new routes "a la carte" to fit the distances of the Antonino Itinerary to our free will.

FIG 8: DIGITAL REFLECTANCE MODEL SHOWING A SEGMENT OF THE DUERO BASIN BETWEEN ZAMORA AND TORDESILLAS. SEEN HOW THE THREE SECTIONS OF ROMAN ROADS THAT SHOWN, BELONGING AT ROUTES 24 AND 26 OF THE ANTONINO ITINERARY,

ADJUSTS TO TERRAIN AT ALL TIMES, AVOIDING ENTERING STEEP SLOPE AREAS.



3. Zamora's road network and surrounding areas in Ancient Age: interim results. At the point where we are today, we believe have located quite accurately in our GIS

almost all sections of the main roads that linked the most important existing populations in western North Plateau during the Roman rule, and also the mansiones that was placed along of these routes, according to the Itinerary. Currently our work focuses on to check over terrain the hypothesis yet untested in the field, and also in to continue exploring in cabinet development of the local roads network. These roads, in the classic texts are often referred VIAE VICINALIS and so we finding out, they form a grid that was equally or more important than the network that described in the Antonino Itinerary.

These local roads followed, in many cases, the main waterways, where population is clearly concentrated in Roman times, as indicated by statistical analysis of the distribution of Roman sites, and usually ended up becoming major cattle trails.

On the map that included below (Figure 12) are represented all the routes mentioned in the Antonino Itinerary corresponding to the central sector of the Northern Plateau, with their mansions.

After this map you can see a text box where collects all the mansiones located in Castile and León, as it is indicated in the Itinerary. The table showing details of archaeological sites corresponding with the mansiones: surface, typology (according to our data), administrative division where are situated, etc (Table 2). The following table (Table 3) collects the distances between the different stages that include the Itinerary, in Roman miles and meters.

We offer three different distances:

• The distance that indicates the Antonino Itinerary. • The reduced distance, in our proposal. • The real distance, in our proposal.

The reduced distance is obtained directly on the map; interpolating this distance using GIS

Elevation Model of 5x5 meters allows obtain the real distance, which takes into account the slope of terrain.

As can be seen, the total difference between real distance and his reduction rarely exceeds 200 meters. This is so because the main purpose of construction of the roman roads, (allow the animal-drawn vehicles traffic), prevents exceed in any case, slope values higher than 12 %.In fact, usually slope values of roman roads rarely exceed 5% gradient.

In the vicinity of the proposed paths within the study area, exists a high density of Roman sites (see Figure 14). Some of them, by their type and their spatial location (proximity to roads, distance from each site to the others and his position in relation to the mansions that flank it, etc..) stand itself as serious candidates for to have been establishments of second order for to stop and to rest that is, what in Latin idiom was known by the name of MVTATIONES. Then we proceed to relate they, specifying the sections of the roads where they are located:



• ASTVRICA AVGVSTA - BRIGECO: La Vega (Palacios de Valduerna), El Palacio (Audanzas del Valle).

• BRIGECO - PALANTIA: Quintanilla del Molar, Vega del Ahogaburros (Aguilar de Campos), Trascortes I (Berrueces), El Villar (Torremormojón).

• BRIGECO - OCELO DVRI: Villanueva La Seca (San Esteban del Molar), Los Ladrillos (Villárdiga), Río Viejo (Cañizo), Las Tocineras (Molacillos).

• OCELO DVRI - SEPTIMANCAS: Los Pedrones (Matilla La Seca), Los Hornos (Pinilla de Toro), Las Navas I (Casasola de Arión), Santa Eugenia (Villalar de los Comuneros), El Horno (Villamarciel).

• OCELO DVRI - CALIONICCO: Santa Cruz (Jambrina), Santa Colomba (Fuentespreadas), Los Arenales (Calzada de Valdunciel), Los Mesones (San Pedro de Rozados), Casafranca (Casafranca), Castillo de la Calzada (La Calzada de Béjar).

Throughout the proposed routes have been found many remains of alleged roman milestones, many of them unpublished. Without wishing to be exhaustive, list of municipalities where such remains were found includes the following references: Aguilar de Campos, Aspariegos, Audanzas del Valle, Benegiles, Bolaños de Campos, Brandilanes, Cunquilla de Vidriales, Fuentes de Ropel, Gallegos del Campo, Granucillo, Matilla de Arzón, Milles de la Polvorosa, Quintanilla del Molar, Rabanales, San Esteban del Molar, San Vitero, Ufones, Villalazán, Villalcampo and Villalube.

FIG. 9: ALLEGED ROMAN MILESTONE IN SAN ESTEBAN DEL MOLAR.

FIG. 11: ALLEGED ROMAN MILESTONE IN INTERCATIA (BOLAÑOS DE CAMPOS).

FIG. 10: ALLEGED ROMAN

MILESTONE IN QUINTANILLA DEL MOLAR.

FIG. 12: TRACK OF THE ROMAN ROADS THAT CORRESPONDING WITH THE ROUTES LISTED IN THE ANTONINO ITINERARY IN THE AREA OF STUDY.



TABLE 2. LIST OF THE MANSIONES THAT LINE THE ROUTES INCLUDED IN ANTONINO ITINERARY THROUGH REGION OF CASTILE AND LEÓN, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REDUCTIONS.

ROUTE (Nº de

Saavedra) MANSION SITE SURFACE

(HAS.) TIPOLOGY / ROMAN

LEGAL STATUS ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

(“TÉRMINO MUNICIPAL”)

1 SEGESAMUNCLO VALDEMOROS - LOS PALACIOS 19 + 20 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS CEREZO DEL RÍO TIRÓN

1, 32 y 34 VIROVESCA BRIVIESCA II - CERRO DE SAN JUAN 4.40 + 32 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS BRIVIESCA

1, 32 y 34 TRITIVM LA LAGUNA - ALTO DE RODILLA 4,5 + 55 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS MONASTERIO DE RODILLA

1, 32 y 34 DEOBRIGVLA LAS QUINTANAS 25.78 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS TARDAJOS

1, 32 y 34 SEGESAMONE CASCO URBANO DE SASAMÓN 68.50 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO ¿FLAVIO? SASAMÓN

1, 32 y 34 DESSOBRIGA LAS CUESTAS - LOS CENIZALES 194 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS OSORNO

1, 32 y 34 LACOBRIGA CARRIÓN DE LOS CONDES - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS CARRIÓN DE LOS CONDES

1, 32 y 34 VIMINACIO CASTRO MUZA (CALZADILLA DE LA CUEZA) 18 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS CERVATOS DE LA CUEZA

1 CAMALA EL LAGUNAL 20 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS SAHAGÚN

1 LANCE EL CASTRO 44 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO VILLASABARIEGO

1 LEGIO VII CASCO URBANO DE LEÓN 20 CASTRA LEGIO VII LEÓN

17 VENIATIA LA VENTA O POSADA DE LOS ROMANOS (BOYA) - VICO MAHIDE

17 PETAVONIVM LA CIUDADEJA O SANSUEÑA (ROSINOS DE VIDRIALES) 90 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS SANTIBÁÑEZ DE VIDRIALES

17 ARGENTIOLVM SAN MIGUEL 10 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS VILLAMONTÁN DE VALDUERNA

18 GEMESTARIO A DEVESA DE CARBALLAL (PORTELA DE AGUIAR) 0.5 ¿VICO? SOBRADO

18, 19 y 20 BERGIDO LA MALETERIA - LA EDRADA (CACABELOS) 6 + 31 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

FLAVIO CACABELOS

18, 19 y 20 INTERAMNIO FLAVIO

SANTA EULALIA (SAN ROMÁN DE BEMBIBRE) 0.8 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

¿FLAVIO? BEMBIBRE

18, 19, 20, 26 y 27

ASTVRICA AVGVSTA ERGÁSTULA ROMANA Y ALEDAÑOS 26 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

FLAVIO ASTORGA

20 VTTARIS SIN LOCALIZAR (RUITELÁN) - ¿VICO? VEGA DE VALCARCE

24 CAELIONICCO LOS RECUEROS 15.54 ¿VICO? PEÑACABALLERA

24 AD LIPPOS LA MORERÍA 1 ¿VICO? VALVERDE DE VALDELACASA

24 SENTICE LA DUEÑA DE ABAJO 20 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS PEDROSILLO DE LOS AIRES

24 SALMANTICE CASCO URBANO (CATEDRAL, C/ DEL SILENCIO, ETC.) - CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

FLAVIO SALAMANCA

24 SIBARIAM SAN CRISTÓBAL DEL MONTE - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS TOPAS

24 y 26 OCELO DVRI EL ALBA - LOS PALOMARES - LAS AUGUERAS (EL CANAL)

30 + 26.30 + 35.40

CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO VILLALAZÁN / MADRIDANOS

24 y 26 ALBOCELA POBLADURA DE SOTIEDRA 14 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO TIEDRA

24 y 26 AMALLOBRIGA CASCO URBANO DE TORDESILLAS - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS TORDESILLAS

24 y 26 SEPTIMANCA CASCO URBANO DE SIMANCAS 49 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS SIMANCAS

24 y 26 NIVARIA SIETEIGLESIAS 17 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS MATAPOZUELOS

24 y 26 CAVCA CASCO URBANO DE COCA - TIERRA DE LAS PIZARRAS 38 + 135 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

¿FLAVIO? COCA

24 y 26 SEGOVIA CASCO URBANO DE SEGOVIA - CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO ¿FLAVIO? SEGOVIA

26 y 27 BEDVNIA LOS VILLARES 37.40 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS QUINTANA DEL MARCO

26 y 27 BRIGECO DEHESA MORALES DE LAS CUEVAS - LAS CAÑAMONAS 22 + 1 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

FLAVIO FUENTES DE ROPEL - SAN

CRISTÓBAL DE ENTREVIÑAS 26 VICO AQVARIO LA MANUELA 9,4 VICO ASPARIEGOS

27 INTERCATIA ANTANILLAS 56 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO BOLAÑOS DE CAMPOS

27 TELA CERRO DEL PUEBLO - LA ESTRELLA- LAS QUINTANAS 85 + 10 + 30 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS MONTEALEGRE DE CAMPOS

27 PALANTIA

(¿PINTIA en códices Itinerario?)

CASCO URBANO DE PALENCIA - CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO PALENCIA

27 CLVNIA ALTO DEL CASTRO (PEÑALBA DE CASTRO) 58

CIVITAS- MUNICIPIO JULIO CLAVDIO/

COLONIA (GALBA) HUERTA DEL REY

27 VXAMA ARGAELA ALTO DEL CASTRO 100 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO PREFLAVIO EL BURGO DE OSMA

27 VOLVCE CERRO DE LOS CASTEJONES - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS CALATAÑAZOR

27 NUMANTIA CERRO DE LA MUELA 24 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO FLAVIO GARRAY

27 AVGVSTOBRIGA LA CERCA Y CASCO URBANO DE MURO DE AGREDA 49 CIVITAS - MUNICIPIO

¿FLAVIO? ÓLVEGA

32 y 34 VALLATA SIN LOCALIZAR (ENTORNO DE LA MILLA DEL PÁRAMO) - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS BUSTILLO DEL PÁRAMO

32 y 34 INTERAMNIO ENTORNO DEL CASCO URBANO DE ARDÓN - CIVITAS - SIN DATOS ARDÓN

32 y 34 PALLANTIA EL QUINTANAL-LOS QUINTANALES - SAN MARCOS (GRAJALEJO DE LAS MATAS-SANTAS MARTAS) 5.20 + 9.75 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS VILLAMORATIEL DE LAS MATAS

- SANTAS MARTAS

34 VINDELEIA SANTA ENGRACIA (CASTILLETE DE PANCORBO) 16 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS PANCORBO

34 DEOBRIGA INFIERNO (ARCE) 100 CIVITAS - SIN DATOS MIRANDA DE EBRO



TABLE 3. DISTANCES BETWEEN MANSIONES IN CODICES, AND MEASUREMENTS OBTAINED FROM INTERIM RESULTS OF THE STUDY.

ROUTE (Nº de

Saavedra) STRETCH

DISTANCE IN CODICES REDUCED DISTANCE REAL DISTANCE

MILLIA PASSUM METERS MILLIA

PASSUM METERS MILLIA PASSUM METERS

1 SEGESAMUNCLO - VIROVESCA 11 16,280 11.9 17,649 11.9 17,688

1, 32 y 34 VIROVESCA - TRITIVM 11 16,280 11.8 17,459 11.8 17,483

1, 32 y 34 TRITIVM - DEOBRIGVLA 21 31,080 21.9 32,536 22.0 32,565

1, 32 y 34 DEOBRIGVLA - SEGESAMONE 15 22,200 15.6 23,144 15.7 23,175

1, 32 y 34 SEGESAMONE - DESSOBRIGA 15 22,200 16.1 23,943 16.2 23,958

1, 32 y 34 DESSOBRIGA - LACOBRIGA 15 22,200 15.4 22,855 15.5 22,872

1, 32 y 34 LACOBRIGA - VIMINACIO 15 22,200 15.3 22,706 15.4 22,718

1, 32 y 34 VIMINACIO - CAMALA 10 14,800 10.6 15,675 10.6 15,698

1 CAMALA - LANCE 29 42,920 29.0 42,952 29.0 42,973

1 LANCE - LEGIO VII 9 13,320 9.3 13,691 9.3 13,703

17 COMPLEVTICA - VENIATIA 25 37,000 25.1 37,224 25,2 37,224

17 VENIATIA - PETAVONIVM 28 41,440 28.2 41,751 28.2 41,799

17 ARGENTIOLVM - PETAVONIVM 15 22,200 15.2 22,523 15.2 22,539

17 ARGENTIOLVM - ASTVRICA AVGVSTA 14 20,720 14.1 20,836 14.2 20,979

18 FORO - GEMESTARIO 18 26,640 - - - -

18 GEMESTARIO - BERGIDO 13 19,240 13.7 20,331 13.9 20,529

18, 19 y 20 BERGIDO - INTERAMNIO FLAVIO 20 29,600 20.3 30,062 20.3 30,110

18, 19 y 20 INTERAMNIO FLAVIO - ASTVRICA AVGVSTA 30 44,400 30.7 45,504 30.9 45,721

20 PONTE NEVIAE - VTTARIS 20 29,600 - - - -

20 VTTARIS - BERGIDO 16 23,680 - - - -

24 CAPARA - CAELIONICCO 22 32,560 - - - -

24 CALIONICCO - AD LIPPOS 12 17,760 12.0 17.768 12.0 17,803

24 AD LIPPOS - SENTICE 15 22,200 15.0 22.200 15.0 22,223

24 SENTICE - SALMANTICE 24 35,520 24.1 35.616 24.1 35,648

24 SALMANTICE - SIBARIAM 21 31,080 21.4 31.610 21.4 31,629

24 SIBARIAM - OCELO DVRI 21 31,080 21.9 32.423 21.9 32,462

24 y 26 OCELO DVRI - ALBOCELA 22 32,560 22.1 32.751 22.1 32,773

24 y 26 ALBOCELA - AMALLOBRIGA 22 32,560 22.3 32.953 22.3 32,97

24 y 26 AMALLOBRIGA - SEPTIMANCA 14 20,720 14.1 20.801 14.1 20,820

24 y 26 SEPTIMANCA - NIVARIA 12 17,760 12.2 18.108 12.2 18,123

24 y 26 NIVARIA - CAVCA 22 32,560 22.6 33.389 22.6 33,405

24 y 26 CAVCA - SEGOVIA 29 42,920 - - - -

24 y 26 SEGOVIA - MIACUM 24 35,520 - - - -

26 y 27 ASTVRICA AVGUSTA - BEDVNIA 20 29,600 - - - -

26 y 27 BEDVNIA - BRIGECO 20 29,600 - - - -

26 BRIGECO - VICO AQVARIO 32 47,360 32.0 47.378 32.0 47,413

26 VICO AQVARIO - OCELO DVRI 16 23,680 16.4 24.311 16.4 24,321

27 BRIGECO - INTERCATIA 20 29,600 20.8 30.782 20.8 30,794

27 INTERCATIA - TELA 22 32,560 22.9 33.876 22.9 33,898

27 TELA - PALANTIA (¿PINTIA en Códices?) 24 35,520 24.7 36.595 24.7 36,610

27 PALANTIA - RAVDA - CLVNIA 26 38,480 - - - -

27 VXAMA ARGAELA 24 35,520 - - - -

27 VXAMA ARGAELA - VOLVCE 25 37,000 - - - -

27 VOLVCE - NUMANTIA 25 37,000 - - - -

27 NUMANTIA - AVGVSTOBRIGA 23 34,040 - - - -

27 AVGVSTOBRIGA - TVRIASONE 17 25,160 - - - -

32 y 34 ASTVRICA AVGVSTA - VALLATA 16 23,680 16.3 24,222 - -

32 y 34 VALLATA - INTERAMNIO 13 19,240 13.5 20,001 - -

32 y 34 INTERAMNIO - PALLANTIA 14 20,720 14.8 22,051 - -

32 y 34 PALLANTIA - VIMINACIO 31 45,880 33.3 49,333 - -

32 VIROVESCA - ATILIANA 30 44,400 - - - -

34 VIROVESCA - VINDELEIA 12 16,280 - - - -

34 VINDELEIA - DEOBRIGA 14 20,720 - - - -



4. Discussion. After more than 100 years of academic research over the roman roads of HISPANIA, no

one had so far managed to draw up a proposal that manage to fit information preserved until today in the codices that integrate the Antonino Itinerary with the archaeological reality and geographical environment that exist west of the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula.

We believe that we have done it, as justified by the results that we provide, despite we don't possessing no college education specifically related to the history and archeology. We want nuance our earlier statement, stating explicitly that the study required a very intensive documentation work, largely facilitated by the existence of Internet, which for years offers to any user, regardless of where he find, lots of information of all kinds, relatively easy to filter and query, through the availability of amazing free tools, like the Google Search Engine. It's suffice to say, in justification of previous statement, that the documentation we have collected (largely from Internet), sorted and consulted during the past 5 years over the Roman road network and other related issues in pdf Acrobat format, exceeds 1,000 titles, including most notably, in addition to numerous articles in scientific journals, several PhD theses.

We believe that the factor that made the difference in getting the best results is simply have been able to count on the support of a GIS tool powerful enough and balanced, both in terms of the ability of software and hardware used, as in regard to available digital cartographic data, and the experience and training in handling the tool.

As we have seen, the distances between mansiones referred in the Antonino Itinerary are mostly correct, at least in regard to the large area where our study focuses, and the unit that are measured always corresponds to the length most commonly accepted for the Roman mile or millia passum (1,480 meters), a multiple of other roman metric units such as the Roman step (passus), or the Roman foot (pes). Exception to this rule are a few specific cases, as with the section between TELA and CLVNIA of the route identified with number 27 by Saavedra, where the discrepancies between the different codices already point clearly to an incorrect transcript to the Itinerary of original source Roman. To master and put into operation for large-scale grain production in the fertile lands that make up the vast region of Tierra de Campos, inexcusably the Romans were forced to build miles and miles of roads which have an amazing foundation, built with sandstone. The large size stone pieces that conforms the base of the roads had been torn manually to the sandstone outcrops that dot the sedimentary basin that extends through great part of the Castilian-Leonese plateau. A Engineering show so unusual as we have noted, it was essential to guarantee the export of grain grown on the farms established in the fertile countryside of the vacceos to Rome or to another points where the roman imperial administration considered appropriate the movement of grain after harvest (the garrisons stationed at the Limes, for example), when with the autumn rains turns all the area into a quagmire impenetrable, impassable, even today, for all vehicles traffic "out of roads" until the rains finish with the arrive of summer. Similarly, some of these roads would be used for the transfer of salt extracted in Villafáfila to their distribution points. Another possible fate of some of the surplus grain produced in the area might be in the mining areas of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, or even of Andalusia, where we know from Roman writers such as Pliny and Diodorus that was employed a lot of men for the mining labor. In the nearby region of Bierzo arable land is scarce, and most of the population, devoted full time to the extraction of gold and other minerals, could not feed itself.

The particular technique used in building foundations of the Roman roads that ran through the Tierra de Campos, in complicity with the lack of characteristic stone of the region, would have been the factor that caused the demise of many roman roads without leaving a trace, since the material with which they were built would be reused repeatedly over the centuries after the



fall of the Roman Empire to build houses, little walls, churches, bridges and other landmark buildings in the villages and towns located near the tracks.

In other cases, the foundation of the roads would still be fulfilling its original function, remaining hidden from view, and would continue providing bearing capacity for ways and roads in use today, most of which exhibit a wearing course modern tread. This latter point we have been able to confirm, with some confidence, for example, on certain roads and land consolidation ways located in the environment of the locations of Castroverde de Campos and Villafáfila, or in the C-612 road, which links Palencia with the River Duero over Zamora (in the ancient age it would link PALANTIA with the neighbor OCELO DVRI), following the river Valderaduey. The C-612 road, in its section between Benegiles and San Martín de Valderaduey, fits faithfully the track of the roman road named route No. 26 at Itinerary.

We are now studying it thoroughly a hypothesis that proposed that the territorial planning designed by the Romans for Tierra de Campos remains in place today. Under this scenario, most of the villages that dot the region, many of whom preserved name that begins with the very Roman root "villa" (Villafáfila, Villarrín de Campos, Villamayor de Campos, Villardefallaves, Villalobos, Villalpando, etc. ) could be the heirs of the primitive Roman farms, and their current churches could were built on numerous occasions with materials originating from the noble parts of the establishments made during ancient imperial era.

The brittle nature of the sandstone, unique rock material used by the Romans in the eastern most area of Zamora to develop support infrastructure of his roads (bridges, milestones, etc.) would have played against the persistence of such embodiments, much higher in areas where the raw material was more durable (granite, limestone, etc.). On the other hand, have often been reused in Romanesque monuments or other of later periods, which has caused them to be taken so far by structural elements of medieval times. The quartzites that outcrop in the eastern sector of the old Hercynian massif that occupies the west of Zamora (Tierra de Campos), as well as El Páramo of León province, not suitable to be worked, because of its extreme hardness and its propensity to unexpected fractures, were not used by the Romans to build their monuments, and would have been an usual practice imports to these areas sandstone from the sedimentary basin of the Duero when Romans had needed to build stone bridges or other similar structures. We have an example of this, without going further, in the same village where we live, "Milles de la Polvorosa", near which there were be a Roman bridge, long gone, some of whose stones could be the same as today observed in the buttresses and other construction elements of the village church, whose factory quartzite is usual in the region in such type of buildings.

We have found in the Teso de la Mora (Molacillos) a sandstone quarry that was exploited by the Romans to remove the stone with which they cemented an important part of the roads that traverse the Tierra de Campos in Zamora province. The composition of the sandstones is highly variable so it does not seem difficult verify in a near future the claim that we do now, analyzing the rocks of the hills and comparing the results with samples taken from the roman roads closest to them, with a more precise methodology than that derived from visual observation alone we used until now. The Roman occupation of the quarry is well documented, having dated the operation period, based on the hallmarks of the sigillata recovered, between 20 BC and 20 AD, that is, for nearly half-century just after the end of the Cantabrian Wars (BALADO PACHÓN, A. Y MARTÍNEZ GARCÍA, A.B., 2008). The existence of the quarry had already been noted by Mr. Virgilio Sevillano when he visited the "Romans tanks" located at the top of Teso de la Mora in 1971. These misnamed "tanks" are, in fact, the decanter of an aqueduct which had its sources in the municipality of Villalube. A small reservoir, whose archaic vestiges are still visible, was built



to regulate the flow of the stream of Fuenticas, which supplied water to the aqueduct in the vicinity of the place where would be built centuries later the chapel of El Lenguar, defunct today, which reused Roman material to meet your construction needs. The aqueduct had been designed to ensure the supply of good drinking water for the quarry workers and the beasts of burden that pulled the wagons that transported the stone, and to meet the needs of the military detachment that had responsibility for the operation of the exploitation. Close to Villalube we could see, scattered here and there, what we identify as the remains of the aqueduct construction that we described.

Other quarries of sandstone exploited in Roman times, depending on what we know, would be located near the town of Zamora, in Tardobispo (El Puerto), and another more in the vicinity of Route 27 as it passes through the town of Aguilar de Campos. A special mention because its overwhelming size and awesome appearance, deserve quarries of OCELO DVRI, the bigger roman civitas of Zamora, located about 3 km east of that civitas (Mata El Hombre-Las Contiendas), the limestone quarries of Villalonso (Zamora), which dominates the common section of Antonino Itinerary routes 24 and 26 between Zamora and Valladolid, and the limestone quarries of Montealegre de Campos (Valladolid), in tracing the path of Route 27, beside the sitting of disappeared roman civitas of TELA.

Finally, we wish to state that, in our opinion, the Antonino Itinerary collects the main routes

of interest to the Empire, and ignores the paths of local or provincial character (we refer, in this case, to the old Roman province of Hispania); these routes could, however, have had a very

FIG 13: QUARRIES OF OCELO DVRI, IN PLACE CALLED LAS CONTIENDAS-MATA EL HOMBRE (MATA EL HOMBRE=KILL THE MAN). THE SITE IS

LOCATED ON THE BORDER OF MUNICIPALITIES OF VILLALAZÁN, TORO AND MADRIDANOS. ONE OF PRIMARY MEANING OF LATIN VERB CONTENDO IS "TO THROW" - "TO LAUNCH" - "TO DUMP". THE NAME OF THE PLACE THAT SHOWN IN THE PICTURE, IN OUR OPINION, KEEPS A MEANING TODAY FORGOTTEN FOR THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF THE LOCAL POPULATION, CLEARLY RELATED TO THE EXTRACTIVE ACTIVITIES THAT WERE STARTED BY THE ROMANS IN THE AREA, TWO MILLENNIA AGO. LARGE SANDSTONE BLOCKS OF THE QUARRY

WERE BROKEN OFF WITH HELP OF GALLERIES EXCAVATION THAT PROFILED THE MODULES SELECTED FOR BE PULLED OUT (SEE BOX IN PICTURE). THESE BLOCKS OR MODULES WERE FINALLY RELEASED THROUGH WEDGES INTRODUCTION, AND LATER TRANSPORTED TO

THE WORKSHOPS WHERE THE STONE WAS TILLED, OR DIRECTLY CHOPPED IN THE EXPLOITATION.



noticeable socio-economic importance to indicated scales, and, moreover, enjoyed a remarkable infrastructure paid for by municipalities and privates (the Alcantara bridge, for example).

The Itinerary routes were, according to this hypothesis, the great arteries that allowed to Rome exploit and export the resources whose acquisition was, ultimately, the real reason you moved to the Roman ruling class to undertake their campaigns of conquest.

This opinion, already previously highlighted by other researchers, is supported by the fact, well noted by us, that none of the riverine arteries that communicate most of the existing population enclaves in Roman times into the Northern Plateau, nearly all oriented in north-south, is mentioned by the Itinerary, while many of the routes that do appear are generally oriented east-west, making good the old adage that says "All roads lead to Rome".

The major roman riverine ways, which channeled most of the local traffic, were transformed in the Middle Ages into significant cattle trails. This fact was observed some years ago by Mr. Virgilio Sevillano, pioneer researcher of archeological past of Zamora province very esteemed for us, who wrote in 1978 in one of the final pages of his book "Testimony archaeological Zamora province" the sentence that we choose for conclude this communication: "The glens of today were the Roman roads, because circulating through them, people found pasture for their beasts for mount and for freight, and water for all. The cartography of these cattle trails edited by the Ministry of Agriculture would be of great archaeological value for researchers, because we have found many Roman sites next to them and no doubt there will be many more".



FIG. 14: VIAE MILITARES (BLACK THICK STROKE) AND VIAE VICINALIS (THIN WHITE STROKE) IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF ZAMORA. CURRENT STATUS OF RESEARCH.

FIG. 15: TESO DE LA MORA (MOLACILLOS). ROMAN QUARRY OF SANDSTONE. THE IMPACT OF MINING

ACTIVITIES IS GOOD VISIBLE ON THE SLOPES OF HILL, AND THE MEMORY OF THE ACTIVITY HAS SURVIVED IN THE SURROUNDING VILLAGES (MOLA CELLA, IN LATIN, COMES TO MEAN SOMETHING LIKE

"WAREHOUSE OF STONES").

FIG. 16: DECANTER OF THE AQUEDUCT VILLALUBE - TESO DE LA MORA. DIVIDER WALL DETAIL THE TWO GLASSES OF DECANTING (IN / OUT OF WATER), AND HIS CONNECTION THROUGH HOLLOWS TOPPED BY ARCHS. THE HOLES FOR RECIVING WATER AND WATER OUTLET AFTER DECANTING, WERE CLOSE TO THE UPPER EDGE OF THE REAR WALL (YOU CAN SEE THE RIGHT HOLE IN THE PICTURE, IF YOU LOOK

CLOSELY).

FIG. 17: AS SHOWN IN THE PICTURE, TO ENSURE THE VEHICLES TRAFFIC IN TIERRA DE CAMPOS THE ROMANS BUILT HIS WAYS GIVING THEM A SOLID BASE OF LARGE BLOCKS OF SANDSTONE

(FOUNDATION IN THE FOTO IS ABOUT 1 METER THICK).

FIG. 18: CERECINOS DE CAMPOS: STONES OF THE ROMAN ROAD THAT COMMUNICATED THE LEGIONARY CAMP OF PETAVONIVM WITH THE CIVITATES OF INTERCATIA AND OCELO DURI REUSED AS FOUNDATION

OF THE VILLAGE HOUSES. REUSE OF BUILDING MATERIALS OF THE ROMAN WAYS IN AN ENVIRONMENT LACKING STONE (TIERRA DE CAMPOS=LAND OF FIELDS), EVEN IN EFFECT TODAY, CAUSED THE

DISAPPEARANCE OF A LOT OF THEM.

FIG. 19: VIDAYANES: AMAZING REST OF THE ROMAN ROAD THAT LINKED THE GREAT ROMAN WAY FROM BRIGECO TO OCELO DVRI WITH THE BRIDGE OVER THE ASTVRA RIVER (NOW NAMED ESLA). THIS

BRIDGE, REBUILT IN THE MIDDLE AGES BY PETRUS DE DEUSTAMBEN, COMMUNICATED PETAVONIVM WITH EASTERN SIDE OF ESLA RIVER THROUGH THE VIDRIALES VALLEY. BESIDE THE WEST ACCESS OF

THIS BRIDGE, INTO MUNICIPALITY OF MILLES DE LA POLVOROSA, WAS FOUND IN 1985 THE "PRIORY MILESTONE", A GREAT CYLINDER OF SANDSTONE DEDICATED TO EMPEROR NERO IN 58 AD.

FIG. 20: FOUNDATION STONES IN TWO POINTS LOCATED ABOVE THE ROAD BETWEEN CERECINOS DE CAMPOS AND VIDAYANES, AND BETWEEN THIS LAST VILLAGE AND BARCIAL DEL BARCO (BOX).

CERECINOS DE CAMPOS WAS CALLED IN THE MIDDLE AGES “CERESINOS”, A NAME THAT EVOKES THE NAME OF THE ROMAN GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE, THE HARVESTS AND FERTILITY, NO DOUBT,

GODDESS VERY MUCH IN HARMONY WITH THE REGION OF TIERRA DE CAMPOS.

FIG. 21: VILLAMAYOR DE CAMPOS: ROMAN WAY THROUGH THE WESTERN MARGIN OF VALDERADUEY RIVER (OLD ARATOI), WHICH CONNECTS WITH 26 ROUTE OF THE ITINERARY AT INTERCATIA. YOU CAN NOTE HOW SANDSTONE LOCATED IN THE LEFT OF ROAD, FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE ROMAN

ROAD, HIGHLIGHTS NOTORIOUSLY IN THE SURROUNDING UNIFORM MUD.

FIG. 22: VILLAMAYOR DE CAMPOS: THE SAME ROAD FROM THE PREVIOUS IMAGE, IN PERFECT USE AFTER MORE THAN 2000 YEARS OF SERVICE. THE WHITE GRAVEL SURFACE IS NOT OF ROMAN ORIGIN;

WHAT WE BELIEVE FROM ROMAN INVOICE IS THE INSIDE FOUNDATION MADE WITH BLOCKS OF SANDSTONE, SOME OF WHICH EMERGE TO SURFACE FROM TIME TO TIME, IN THE MARGINS OF THE

ROAD.

FIG. 23: REMAINS OF A GREAT ROMAN ROAD (N. 26 OF ITINERARY), BETWEEN THE MANSIONES OF VICO AQVARIO AND BRIGECO, OUTSIDE OF SAN ESTEBAN DEL MOLAR, ON THE SOUTHERN BANK OF THE GLEN

OF MADRID.

FIG. 24: ROUTE 27: ROMAN ROAD TELA (MONTEALEGRE DE CAMPOS) - PALANTIA (PALENCIA), IN VILLERÍAS. DETAIL OF SANDSTONE FOUNDATION ON THE GUTTER OF THE ROAD, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MUD OF

SUROUNDING, COMPLETELY FREE OF STONES OF ANY KIND (SEE BOX). THE TRACE OF THE ROAD CORRESPONDS TO THE OLD ROYAL ROAD BETWEEN ZAMORA AND PALENCIA.

FIG. 25: SAN CRISTÓBAL DE ENTREVIÑAS: REMAINS OF THE GREAT BANK OF BOULDERS THAT ALLOWED CROSS THE FLOODPLAIN OF ASTVRA (CURRENT ESLA), AT THE MOUTH OF THE BRIDGE

THAT CONNECTED BRIGECO (MORALES DE LAS CUEVAS) AND THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE OF CAÑAMONAS, VERY POSSIBLE LOCATION OF A MANSION OF THE CIVITAS MENTIONED.

FIG. 26: MAP WITH LOCATION OF THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER ASTVRA (CURRENT ESLA) THAT COMMUNICATED ASTVRICA AVGVSTA AND BRIGECO THROUGH THE CIVITAS OF BEDVNIA. IN THE RED CIRCLE, YOU CAN SEE THE PLACEMENT OF THE EMBANKMENT OF BOULDERS OF QUARTZITE THAT

SHOWN IN THE PICTURE PRECEDENT.

FIG. 27: VIEW OF THE REMAINS OF EMBANKMENT IN THE ORTHOPHOTO PNOA 2006. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE

IMAGE IS CLEARLY SEEN AS THE INFRASTRUCTURE ABRUPTLY CHANGES DIRECTION EASTWARD TO PENETRATE INTO THE RIVER. THIS CIRCUMSTANCE COMPLETELY DENIES, IN OUR OPINION, IN QUESTION IN ORIGIN A DAM AGAINST THE RIVER FLOODS, WHICH MAY SUGGEST THE MESH THAT COVERS THE REMAINS

TODAY TO THAT END.

FIG. 28: THE BRIDGE (OR A REMARKABLE PART OF IT) TODAY. A SOLID AND SPACIOUS CHURCH (SAN CRISTÓBAL DE ENTREVIÑAS), ALMOST ENTIRELY CONSTRUCTED OF SANDSTONE BLOCKS IN A SMALL

TOWN LOCATED IN A GEOLOGICAL SUBSTRATE OF QUARTZITES. CHURCHES LIKE THIS ARE VERY UNUSUALLY IN THE SHIRE, AND ONLY ARE LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF ROMAN SITES, FOR LACK OF

RAW MATERIALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

FIG. 29: ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE RAMPART, BUILT OF QUARTZITES, NEAR THE JAMUZ RIVER, ON THE ROMAN ROAD THAT, FROM THE BRIDGE OF NAVIANOS DE LA VEGA, PENETRATED INTO THE GOLD MINING AREAS OF

THE ERIA RIVER. THE EMBANKMENT IS PART OF AN ACCESS ROAD TO THE VILLAGE OF GENESTACIO, WHERE IS NAMED "STREET THE ROMAN ROAD" (SEE BOX).

FIG. 30: NAVIANOS DE LA VEGA: AGAIN A SMALL TOWN (140 POP.), THIS TIME INTO LEON, WITH A CHURCH THAT LOOKS SANDSTONE MASONRY ELEMENTS, IN A GEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE ONLY QUARTZITES OUTCROP. THE EXPLANATION FOR THIS CONTRADICTION MUST BE SOUGHT IN THE

DISAPPEARED ROMAN BRIDGE THAT WAS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE VILLAGE, WHICH LINKED, IN ROMAN AGE, THE EASTERN BANK OF ÓRBIGO RIVER WITH THE GOLD MINING AREAS OF THE SUBBASIN ERIA.

Documents

GIS AND ROMAN WAYS RESEARCH IN HISPANIA. · Milles de la Polvorosa (Zamora, SPAIN). ... The base map of the geodatabase designed to address the research project, integrates the