celtic castros. for web.pdf

7/29/2019 CELTIC CASTROS. for Web.pdf

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in Ourense


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Introduction. The Celts myth

What are Castros?

Most important Castros in Ourense

Santom

San Cibrn de Ls

Castro de Arme

Castromao

The evolution of castros (link)

Photographs of other castros


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Welcome to the mysterious world of the legacy of Celtic culture in the province of

Ourense. In this space you can make a first approach to some of the most important

settlements where we actually know that Celtic culture had an influence, especially to

those closer to Ourense city. These settlements are called and their

importance is related to the findings made in archaeological excavations that show

us the few things that we know about the people who came to Galicia (Celts) and

was mixed with the native people (Iberians) before the Romans arrived.

But first, we should have an idea of what we are talking about. The Celts - far from

the romantic vision of the tall, blonde, blue-eyed people who lived close to the

spirits of nature and had a warlike character - were a set of different peoples who

lived in central-Europe. Around the 5th century B.C. these people began to migrate

and they expanded in all directions. So, part of them arrived in the Iberian Peninsula

and, of course, in Galicia and in Ourense.

At least, focusing on the archaeological findings in the Northwest of Spain andspecifically on the shortage of weapons in the stratum corresponding to the time of

the Celtic expansion, it can be said that these people were not as warlike as the

mythical and stereotyped vision we have about them says. Against the prejudice of

being fierce warriors and conquerors, the most accepted and shared vision about

them show us a cultural influence and a pacific coexistence with the native people in

the Iberian Peninsula, with no signs of cruel violence.

After these first clarifications, lets see what these ancient people gave us in Ourense

taking a look at some of the most interesting found here. But, first, we

should answer the following question: what are ?

Bronze sword found in 1967 in the village of Mourus, council of San Xon de Ro (Ourense)


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?

Galicia is a wonderful and magic place which hides a lot of culture all along its

beautiful landscapes and lovely villages. Amongst all this cultural collection, we can

point out one kind of construction that is called CASTROS.

But, what are castros? Probably, foreign people dont know what they are. The best

proof is that there is no English word for these constructions. So, lets learn

something about them!

Castros are ruins of ancient cities, which

were fortified with resistant walls made of

stone. The term castro comes from the

latin word castrum, whichmeans military

fortification.

What we see nowadays are the ruins of the

houses which were part of a settlement.

Maybe, the reader is wondering right what

some old ruins have of interest? There is

no doubt about the answer. Castrosallowed us, human beings, to obtain lots of

very valuable information about our ancestors: how they lived, their organization,

their crafts, the battles between the different groups They are an open book which

brings us past times, and helps us to understand a small part of human history. And,

of course, castros are very beautiful, and you can enjoy just staring at them!

We can find castros in a very big zone in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. But

here, in Galicia, we have the oldest ones, the first constructions of this particular

culture which is related to castros, dating

from the seventh or sixth century before

Christ, when the human being decides to

give up nomadic life and create cities. We can

find them beside the sea, like for example

Santa Tegras Castro (located in Pontevedra),

or inland, usually on the top or on the slope

of a mountain, like all the castros we can find


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in Ourense, which will be described immediately.

The houses in Castros, built with hundreds of medium-height stones carefuly placed

on top of each other, often have a circular shape, accompanied by a small lobby.

Also, its believed that roofs were conical and made of boughs and clay. The usualmeasurements for Castros were around 2 meters high and only 4 or 5 meters in

diameter. The houses in Castros were small constructions. The door was made of

wood, and was not installed on the floor, but on a little step, so that water would not

come into the house.

On the one hand, we can find houses built without any apparent plan, they are

mixed with each other, following no logical order. Some Castros have no streets or

anything similar. We should remember that the fully controlled growing (or

expansion) of cities is recent, just from a few centuries ago, at least in the WesternWorld. But, on the other hand, there are other Castros in which we find kinds of

neighbourhoods and irregular streets, which organize the settlement in order to

make life easier. We can talk about pre-Roman Castros (circular buildings) and

Roman Castros (square buildings). A lot of Castros where inhabited during the two

periods, so the two types of constructions were found.

An imposing wall always surrounds the Castro. The function of this wall was, as it

seems, defensive, but they also had a symbolic use. The bigger the wall was, themore power you showed, so it was

easier to keep enemies away.

Sometimes, Castros also had pits

(natural or artificial) around them, and

antecastros, natural terraces situated

before the castro, to magnify the

defence against rival groups.

The settlements (usually, not biggerthan 100 m x 70 m, with a maximum of

12 houses inside) often have three

parts: a living part, where there are

placed the houses and the village life took place; a zone for cattle and agriculture;

and a higher zone, on the top of the city from where the inhabitants could look

around and control everything outside their little village. For example, they could

notice enemy attacks, something very important in those times. This is possible

because of the fact that castros were often built on the top of a mountain, as hasbeen said before.


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In order to make fire, something absolutely necessary for the undeveloped

inhabitants of the castro, the houses had a fire-place. In other houses, fire was

simply made on the floor, which was made of earth, so there was no risk. Also, in

some Castros there were found ovens for making bread.

Castros are a very good example of how the human being adapts to the

environment, and not the other way round, as is happening nowadays. People who

lived in Castros took advantage of the natural circumstances and created a core of

life in an unfavourable place.

There was human life in Castros since their construction until just some decades ago,

in some cases. Well, better said, Castros still have life. They are full of magic corners

which have the uncommon ability of transporting us to the Celtic era. So, theres no

doubt about it, Castros are an obligatory visit for foreigners!


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https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998

On the following pages the four most important Castros in Ourense will be shown,

with short explanations about their history and cultural interest. These Castros are

Santom, San Cibrn de Ls, Arme and Castromao, as you can see in the picture.

Also, if you click on the link you will find the complete map with more details!
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?authuser=0&ie=UTF8&hl=es&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211433880375849758108.0004d52075443d7745998


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Mende, Ourense.

Pedestrian (walking path), car, bus line 9 to Mende school.

One of the favorite corners for lovers of history and archeology is the Santom

archaeological ensemble, which dates from the mid 1st century BC to the mid 1st

century AD.

Very close to A Cidade das Burgas (Ourense), but within Pereiro de Aguiar city

council, on a peak 245 m high beside the Lonia River valley, you can find a

spectacular historic ensemble where

several civilizations settled for more than

two thousand years. The place is in a

strategic location, being almost

impassable by the river bank.

It has nothing to do with the castro, but

next to it there are some strange natural

construction that must be seen. Thereare, in the riverside of the Loa, some

potholes (Marmitas de gigante in Spanish), which were originated because of water

erosion against the stones. Theres a photograph of this odd phenomenon on the

left of this text.

Before the second century before Christ, the castro was inhabited by pre-Roman

societies. When the Roman conquerors arrived at Santom some changes were

made, thats why we can find rectangular houses and streets. During the Roman

period this was a very crowded castro, possibly the most important in this area. In

the second century the village was left

by the last inhabitants, until a hundred

years later new dwellers came in.

These people, with Gallo-Roman

features, built a two-floor building with

external stairs and an original heating

system. However, nowadays both the

building and the heating system are


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destroyed. Santom is like a time

machine which keeps memories from

the Iron Age to the first centuries of the

era after Christ. The mixture of roman

and castreo cultures is unique.

Santom is composed of twelve

houses, a rectangular square and lots

of stone constructions with different

uses, like for example making oil. The

view from the top of the castro is

incredible. The whole city, with its

outstanding, can be seen from there. Its one of the biggest attractions of the castro.

This fort was known to exist from the 1920s. Today, this area is entirely restored, very

well signposted and with information plates about the various areas and buildings.


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San Amaro, Carballio, Ourense.

: Its 20 km. from the capital, by car (Vigo direction).

The Celtic fort of San Cibrn de Ls is one of the largest in Galicia (20 hectares in

size) and it is still in the process of excavation. Its located 20 km. away to the West of

Ourense city, between the river Mio and Barbantio.

It is set on a small hill, 473 meters above sea level. Eye contact is maintained with

neighboring Santa guedas Castro and Trelle Coto Castro. The fort is located at astrategic defense point, in a small plain with steep slopes on the east, somewhat

lower ones in the north and the west and flat

in the south.

As can be seen in the recreated picture beside,

this impressive castro was fortified by two

concentric walls protecting the houses and a

pit surrounding the external one. Inside the

walls there still exists a spring that suppliedwater for the village. The shape is elliptical and

the dimensions of its major and minor axes are

420 and 294m.

In this settlement there lived around 4.000 habitants who worked as farmers,

fishermen and hunters. The most recent studies point out that it was inhabited from

the second century BC to the second century AD, with later occasional occupations.

Inscriptions and ornamental objects have been found there.


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Amongst the archaeological findings in it, there are some stone inscriptions and

many objects like: coins from the first centuries A.D., bronze ornaments (pins, hair

pins, pendants, buckles) and one antenna dagger (there were no more weapons

found). The most common objects found were ceramic ones. All the recuperated

materials are displayed in Ourenses Archaeological Museum.


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Augas Santas (Santa Maria), Allariz, Ourense

: Its 5 km. from the capital, by car (Madrid direction).

Only 20 minutes away by car we find, in the council of Allariz, the Arme Castro. This

castro was built in the fourth century before Christ, and different groups of people,

different societies, lived there until it was left definitely in the fourth century of our

era. The fact that it held life for so many

centuries allows us to find there castreo

constructions next to other Roman ones.

Arme Castro is surrounded, all around its

oval shape, by two defensive walls which have

an irregular structure, but that anyhow fulfilled

their function, despite their unplanned

construction.

In this castro there were found lots of stones

and other stuff with many different shapes and functions. For instance: stones with

swastikas (obviously these swastikas have nothing to do with Nazism; they are anancient symbol which was taken over by Germans), decorated stones, smooth

ceramics, Roman coins, glasses and iron tools. Theres a myth which says that in

Arme theres a hidden stone with a lot of gold inside, can you believe it?

One of the biggest attractions here are Arme warriors. Some

years ago there were found two stone warriors dating from the

first century of our era,

which were situated in theentry of the castro. They

probably represent a god

or a hero. Many different

theories have been

formulated about their function, interpreting

them as: funerary, votive, or honorary figures,

sculptures dedicated to dead chiefs or

warriors, or princes or local heroes who

fought in the auxiliary Roman troops. The


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warriors are cut off at the hip and, nowadays, have no head, because of the passage

of time. They are holding a sword and a shield, but in a pacific posture, dont worry!

Arme is very important not just for the typical constructions of the castro, but

because of all the ornamental stuff which has been found there. Its a rich source ofculture and tradition, still in process of being discovered, and, for sure, it will give us

even more discoveries in the years to come.


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Celanova, Ourense.

: Its 24 Km. from the capital.

We are now visiting very interesting archaeological remains. This

castro was located near a Roman causeway and in it there were

found a lot of objects and Roman structures like miliariosand stone

inscriptions. But it is a very ancient settlement (inhabited from the

6th century B. C. to the 2nd century A.D.) and because of that there

were found unique Celtic objects like the trisquele in the picture. It

dates from the Iron Age in the 6th centuries BC until the 2nd century AD, while thelower parts present an intense romanization, especially during the first and second

centuries AD.

It is close to Celanova (2 Km) at Santa Mara de Castromao which is 753m above sea

level. It is easy to get there by road. Its

shape is an irregular circle with a

circumference of some 453m and a

maximum axis of 150m. Like other castros, ithas a wall made of stones protecting the

buildings inside (of which there are more

than seventy).The excavations conducted in

this fort have also exposed over 70

occupational

structures,

defensive

structures suchas walls or

retaining walls, and even part of a paved street. Its

shape is an irregular circle with a circumference of

some 453 m. and a maximum axis of 150 m.

Because of its ancient background, in this site you can

learn what the first settlements in the northwestern

Peninsula in the Bronze Age were like, their evolution,


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and the processes of adaptation of structures to changing times. Probably was

strongly associated with other forts around and near it.

Most of the pieces found in this castro are actually exhibited in the Archaeological

Museum of Ourense. As a little sample of these objects we show here this ceramicoven, dated between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.

This Triskele of the Iron Age is unique due to the fact that it is the only complete one

in Galicia with openwork decoration in stone. It is dated between the 1 st century B.C.

and the 2nd century A.D. Its size is 29cm of diameter and the thickness of the stone is

11cm.

The triskelion is considered a symbol classically identified with the Celtic culture.

However we can find triskelion in Paleolithic graves dated thousands of years beforein other places on the Atlantic fringe of Europe. That is the case of Newgrange in

Ireland, where there exists a dome with a triskele in the rock that closes the corridor

dated between 2750 and 2250 B.C.


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Learn more in:http://timerime.com/es/evento/1585312/O+nacemento+dos+castros/

Its a very interesting website which will helps you to learn and understand the

beginning of the castreo culture and the making of the castros. You know, they are

places with a lot of history inside their walls!
http://timerime.com/es/evento/1585312/O+nacemento+dos+castros/http://timerime.com/es/evento/1585312/O+nacemento+dos+castros/http://timerime.com/es/evento/1585312/O+nacemento+dos+castros/http://timerime.com/es/evento/1585312/O+nacemento+dos+castros/


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In the following pages you will see photos of the awesome, spectacular and

interesting Castros, because outside the borders of our city there is a huge world of

this culture and incredible constructions. Enjoy them!


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Plaza Maior, s/n

32005 Ourense

Galicia

Tlf. +34 988223884

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http:// www.musarqourense.xunta.es

http://www.musarqourense.xunta.es/xacementos/santome/santome-galeria/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvIqO74X6Vo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLn3bJbEJc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6HSkMO9EE
mailto:[email protected]://www.musarqourense.xunta.es/http://www.musarqourense.xunta.es/xacementos/santome/santome-galeria/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvIqO74X6Vohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLn3bJbEJc4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6HSkMO9EEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6HSkMO9EEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLn3bJbEJc4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvIqO74X6Vohttp://www.musarqourense.xunta.es/xacementos/santome/santome-galeria/http://www.musarqourense.xunta.es/mailto:[email protected]


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Big crevasses must be filled by small stonesCeltic phrase

celtic castros. for web.pdf

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