Numancia Archaeological Site

These lands were home to three different cities: one prehistoric, one Celtiberian and the other Celtiberian-Roman.

They are located eight kilometres from the city of Soria, on the Castro (or Muela) hill. They remained undiscovered until the 19th century, when after a preliminary excavation it was noted that three successive towns had indeed once existed on the site: one prehistoric, one Celtiberian and the other Celtiberian-Roman. Numancia fell into Roman hands in 133 B.C. although the first settlers of this hill near Garray date from 2000 years before the present day. The Arevacos (a Celtiberian tribe) built the city with two large main streets that were criss-crossed by a further eleven streets. The houses stood in rows on stone foundations and were made with mud mortar. The rooms inside were small, and there was a basement storeroom. The city appears to have been destroyed by fire and war. When it was rebuilt in the era of Augustus, the Romans retained the original city layout and the streets were paved. Subsequently, the houses were made of stone and had tiled roofs. Underground waterways and reservoirs were constructed and sanitary conditions improved dramatically.