Madrid, Oct. 25 (SANA) Researchers from Spain’s University of Córdoba have identified a Roman building covering approximately 1,290 square meters that is believed to have served as a rest stop for travelers and soldiers, where they could change horses along the road linking Córdoba and Mérida during the Roman era.
Heritage Daily, a website specializing in archaeological news, reported Saturday that the building is located near the ancient Roman city of Mellaria, close to the town of Fuente Obejuna in Córdoba province in southern Spain. Researchers identified its layout through a geophysical survey that measured variations in the soil’s magnetic field, without conducting excavations.
The survey results indicate that the building is approximately 48 meters long and contains eight rooms of similar size, as well as a larger space that may have been used for bathing and an open courtyard that may have accommodated animals and carts.
Researchers believe the structure was a service station known as a “mansio,” located along one of the main Roman roads. Such stations provided rest areas, accommodation and supplies for travelers, military personnel and state employees. They also allowed travelers to change horses and continue long journeys.
Features identified around the building suggest that the station may have extended over a wider area containing additional structures. Further archaeological studies are needed to determine the building’s precise date and the functions of its different sections.
The findings were published in the Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, providing further information about the network of roads and rest stations that helped organize transportation, trade and communications across the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era.
N.J/ R.K
