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Solar plant halted after surprising discovery: researchers found 5-year-old fortress with traces of the Copper Age.
In 2021, construction work on a solar plant had to be halted after workers made a surprising discovery. At the site, archaeologists discovered a fortress that was approximately 5 years old, with remains from the Copper Age, dating back to between 3.300 BC and 1.200 BC. Since then, excavations have not stopped, and new discoveries continue to reveal fascinating details about the past.
Discoveries at 5-year-old fortress with traces of the Copper Age
More precisely, the halted construction of the solar plant uncovered a set of Copper Age settlements, and since then, archaeologists who were hired by the company Power up Energy, have already found several treasures from history, including a 5-year-old fortress with remains from the Copper Age, with more than 13 square meters on a hill, complete with stone walls, three ditches more than six feet deep and a entry about 70 cm wide.
According to information from Popular Mechanics, the hilltop fortress where the solar plant had its construction halted is called Cortijo Lobato and was only used for 400 years, as published in the study that El País reported.
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According to experts, even though the fortified site had 25 towers and reinforced walls, the enemies managed to attack, invade and destroy the pentagon-shaped fortress. The site was then set on fire.
Interrupted construction also demonstrated evidence of Roman habitation
Second Cesar Perez, chief archaeologist, one of the strongest indications that this was an intentional act is the burning of wooden doors embedded in the walls, according to El País.
Perez points out that these doors were far from other flammable materials, which suggests that the fire at the 5-year-old fortress with traces of the Copper Age was not accidental, but rather the result of an attack on the fortification, a scene of violence and destruction in which the settlement was attacked, its defenses breached and the structure finally burned down.
In addition to the structures, researchers also found evidence of Roman dwellings and a grave near a ditch, with a man buried in a shallow grave who was between 25 and 35 years old when he died. He was face down, with his feet cut off and a dagger in his back.
This suggests that it may have had a military role in the 5-year-old fortress with Copper Age remains, as the dagger was the standard issue used by Roman legionaries. The act was probably hasty due to the shallowness of the grave.
Placing the dagger in his back was a way of indicating that he was part of the army and was given a dishonorable burial. He further explained that only one Roman legion was in the region at the time, the Legio VII Gemina, which was founded in 74 AD and was based in Leon and was known for providing surveillance and security.
What was the Copper Age??
Prehistory is divided into the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Metal Age periods. The latter is divided into three, these being the metals dominated by man: Copper, Bronze and Iron. Copper was the first metal to be found and used for the production of tools, utensils and weapons.
The Copper Age marks the beginning of the Metal Age. Initially, it was the first metal to be mastered by men and then began to fuse with tin, giving rise to bronze, which soon received the name of the Bronze Age.
