Castro del Cerco

The Castro de El Cerco, or Castro del Cerco, sits on a hill west of Sejas de Aliste, a locality in northwestern Spain. It's a place that, for a Roman, was strategically placed. It controlled the routes between the Iberian Peninsula's interior and the Atlantic coast, watching over friendly Roman territory to the east, and against any incursions from tribes to the west. But for the Roman occupants, it was easy to miss, hidden as it was beneath a grass cover, bordered by pastures and vineyards.

Far from being lost to time, this region was associated with the Zoelas by classical authors like Pliny the Elder. The site, declared a cultural heritage site by the Junta de Castilla y León in 2013, includes successive phases of occupation with periods of partial abandonment and reoccupation, adapting defensive structures and dwellings to the needs of each period. The outer wall encircles the hill in an oval shape, built with stone masonry adapted to the terrain. Defensive ditches and fields of piled stones were found in the access area, designed to make it difficult for attackers to advance.

The hill's elevated position, along with natural gorges, reinforced its defensive function. Inside the enclosure, there are indications of circular and rectangular houses with hearths and storage areas, as well as remains of barquiform mills and metalworking activities (iron and bronze). Today, it's a quiet hill where, not unlike the occupants, the mystery continues to live within its walls.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata