Abstract:

The excavations in Puig Castellar of Biosca discovered remains of a castellum or military fortress of the early period of the Roman conquest in inland region of Lleida. It is a settlement with an evident strategic function. Excavation works documented a solid construction on the top of the hill, built with large blocks of stone. Its layout shows a series of rooms around a central backyard with a cistern cut into the natural rock. The whole site is surrounded by a wall of 1,2 m width and at least 4 towers documented so far, which follows and defends the hill where the fortress is located. The extension of the site considering the perimeter wall is 1.6 hectares. Pottery found off ers us a chronological horizon between 150 and 100 BC. The site was later abandoned whereas the close Roman city of Iesso (Guissona) was being founded.