Torre de La Malladeta: An Ancient Sanctuary Beneath a 19th-Century Study

In the Spanish coastal town of La Vila Joiosa, there stands a tower built in the late 19th century that served as a private study for its owner, José María Esquerdo. But, beneath the modern structure, archaeological evidence suggests that the hilltop was once home to an ancient sanctuary, constructed around the 4th century BC. This sanctuary, believed to have been used for religious ceremonies as far back as 100 BC, was abandoned with the rise of the Roman Empire. Today, archaeoastronomical observations are conducted on the spot where the ancient sanctuary once stood, in collaboration with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. These observations are used to calculate the start of the agricultural year, just as the ancients did centuries ago.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons