At the foot of the Pyrenees, traces of an unknown Roman centre have been discovered, the remains of which allow determining that it was established in the 1st-2nd century CE. Among the found foundations are those belonging to the baths, roads, water supply and sewers.
The discovery was made in 2021 after archaeologists conducted a larger study in El Forau de la Tuta, about 1.5 km from the city of Artieda in the north of Spain. According to scientists, there was an ancient and later medieval centre in this area, which was inhabited between the 1st and 5th centuries CE and then between the 9th and 13th centuries. Interestingly, this place was unknown before, and researchers do not know the official name of the ancient city that was founded during the early Roman Empire.
The remains of the city are located in an agricultural field and cover an area of 4 hectares. The city was on the road that once connected the northern cities of Iaca, Ilumberri and Pompelo.
Among the discovered finds are, among others preserved Corinthian capitals or Attic column bases. The columns were probably more than 6 meters high and may have been part of the temple in the local forum. The preserved stones certainly belonged to two separate buildings.
There were also numerous remains of black and white Roman mosaics, as well as a preserved fragment of a floor mosaic showing Amores riding sea horses.
