Archaeological site · Aliaguilla
La Plaza de Sobrarias
La Plaza de Sobrarias is an oppidum, a fortified settlement of around 4 hectares, on a promontory above the Aliaguilla valley. To the north it retains a 156 m wall with bastions and, in front, a ditch over 80 m long cut into rodeno sandstone. Pottery dates from the Mature Iberian period and the 2nd century BC; Madoz saw foundations on the summit in 1845.
- Municipality
- Aliaguilla
- Oppidum
- Iberians
- Aliaguilla
- Ditch
- Defensive wall
- Rodeno
Wall and ditch
Above the valley of Aliaguilla, an almost triangular promontory holds an oppidum, a fortified settlement, of around 4 hectares. On the north it was enclosed by a 156 m wall, around 3 m thick, with bastions and defended entrances; in front, a ditch in the rodeno, the local red sandstone, was cut over 80 m long and between 5 and almost 9 m wide, with a parallel earth bank. Today it is half filled with fallen debris.
Little material has been found inside: pottery from the Mature Iberian period, a fragment of Campanian tableware from the late 2nd century BC and two denarii from the Bolskan mint. Archaeologists see it as one of the upland centres organising small territories in a transition zone between Iberians and Celtiberians. As early as 1845, Madoz recorded «escombros y cimientos» (rubble and foundations) of a settlement on the summit.
Plan your visit
It is an archaeological site in the hills, without visitor facilities. Around 800 varas to the north is the Cueva del Collado de la Plata.
Frequently asked questions
What is an oppidum?
A large fortified settlement heading a territory. At around 4 hectares, Sobrarias would have been one of the centres organising the hills between the Iberian and Celtiberian worlds, alongside Cabeza Moya.
Carry on from here
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the land
These readings connect La Plaza de Sobrarias with the stories, the work and the villages around it.
This place through time
Which eras you can read here
A single place can keep traces of several periods. These layers connect what you see with the atlas's stories.
Where it is
Where the data on this page come from
- Name
«Source consulted»: the primary source has been read. «Reference located»: the source has been identified but not yet read. «Open question»: the figure needs confirmation.