Archaeologists working in Sierra de Cádiz in Spain have found evidence of up to 57 Roman era settlements.

The team from the University of Cádiz hoped to find evidence of one settlement in the area – but now it may be that the sites around Arcos de la Frontera, Bornos, Villamartin and Puerto Serrano could comprise a hidden Roman empire.

Geo radar was used on the sites – pulses detect any hidden objects below ground level. They spotted walls beneath ground level and think the sites might have been joined by the River Guadalete.

Lead researcher Professor Macarena Lara from the University of Cádiz and colleagues were excavating the excavating the Roman villa of El Canuelo in Bornos in May this year, to try and find out how and when the middle valley of the Guadalete was settled. The sites were first discovered in the 1980s and 1990s. It is known that the Roman Empire included the Guadalete River’s valley more than 2,000 years ago.

Prof Lara said:

‘Our main objective is to continue carrying out excavations and surveys with non-traditional techniques and tools, that will be completed with the study of the contexts found – as well as [to] analyze techniques on the documented materials that will allow us to obtain a holistic vision of the Roman settlement and the territory in the area around the Bornos and Arcos de la Frontera reservoirs.’

The Romans conquered Spain in 264 BC.  Julius Caesar was governor of Andalusia (Baetica) in 60-61BC.