Roman city discovered in central Spain

In 2017, near Guadalajara in central Spain, the ruins of a city from the times of the Roman Empire were found. Archaeologists believe it is Caraca – an ancient city mentioned in the 2nd century CE by the Greek geographer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy.

The ancient geographer listed Caraka as one of the Roman cities in the Iberian Peninsula. Five centuries later, an anonymous traveller from Byzantium wrote about Carace. Spanish archaeologists located the city near Guadalajara. However, the place where the ruins were found has so far been avoided by researchers. It is the village of Drieves with 350 inhabitants.

There, in 1945, 15 kilograms of silver coins, jewellery and utilitarian items from the Roman era were found. However, it was only last autumn that researchers became interested in this place.

After six months of work, they announced that on the outskirts of the village, at a depth of two meters, the ruins of an ancient city with an area of ​​at least 12 hectares are hidden. Thanks to the georadar used for the research, archaeologists located the streets, the forum surrounded by rows of columns, the thermal baths, the market square and many residential houses.

Excavations will begin in the spring. Scientists hope that the find will be the best-preserved ancient city on the Iberian Peninsula.