Archaeologists have uncovered a previously unknown Roman military camp near the Iron Age hill fort of La Loma in northern Spain, providing fresh evidence that one of the decisive sieges of the Cantabrian Wars involved a far larger Roman force than previously believed.
The discovery was made during ongoing excavations led by the Monte Bernorio Institute for the Study of Cantabrian Antiquity (IMBEAC) and Heroica Arqueología y Patrimonio Cultural.
Researchers say the newly identified camp, designated Site F, increases the number of known Roman military positions surrounding La Loma to seven, revealing a sophisticated network of camps connected by military routes.
“This discovery significantly expands our understanding of the Roman siege,” said excavation director Santiago Domínguez.
“Until 2024, we only knew of three camps: the main camp and two castella, or secondary camps. Over the past two excavation seasons we have identified three more camps, the routes linking them, and now this new position.”
The findings strengthen the theory that between 12,000 and 18,000 Roman soldiers took part in the siege, suggesting the military operation was one of the largest conducted during Rome’s conquest of northern Hispania.
Archaeologists believe the newly discovered camp formed part of an extensive encirclement designed to isolate the fortified settlement at La Loma during the Cantabrian Wars, the final campaign in Rome’s conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.
The conflict, ordered by Emperor Augustus, lasted from 29 to 19 BC and brought fierce resistance from the Cantabrian and Asturian peoples to an end.
Based on coins and other archaeological evidence recovered from the site, researchers date the siege to between 26 and 24 BC, with 25 BC considered the most likely year. The timing coincides with Augustus’ major offensive to complete Roman control of northern Iberia.
Although seven Roman military positions have now been identified around La Loma, archaeologists believe the original siege network may have been even larger.
Some camps may have been destroyed by the later expansion of nearby settlements, while others could remain buried beneath modern buildings, making their discovery increasingly difficult.
The latest excavation continues to reshape understanding of one of the most important military campaigns in Roman Spain, highlighting the scale and organisation of the forces deployed to subdue the last independent peoples of the Iberian Peninsula.
Sources : Imbeac
