The siege of Cerro Castarreño. Assessing the impact of Rome on the transformation of an archaeological landscape between the River Duero valley and the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain)

Abstract

Within the Romanarmy.eu initiative, the ‘Warscapes’ project started in 2017 to study the transformations experienced by the archaeological landscapes of the Sasamón area between the Late Iron Age and the Roman periods (4th century BC-4th century AD). According to ancient written sources, the Turmogi inhabited the zone before Rome’s arrival and it is generally assumed that their annexation occurred before Augustus started his campaign against the Cantabri in 26 BC. Previous archaeological research in the area located an indigenous oppidum at Cerro Castarreño and a Roman city ‒ Segisamo ‒ immediately northwards,under the modern-day town of Sasamón. However, the process by which the latter replaced the former as the main political, socioeconomic and cultural pole is unclear beyond a generic chronological adscription to Augustan times in connection with the military activities in Cantabria. The recent discovery of archaeological traces related to the Roman Army using aerial photography was also linked with these events without much delving into the debate. After six years of archaeological research in the area, we are in a position to offer new archaeological data that might challenge traditional narratives.