ARCHAEOLOGISTS from Alicante University have found the remains of a large Roman villa on a dig site in the Sogair area of Altea.
The discovery came as a surprise as the main purpose of the excavation was to examine how land was used for farming in ancient times.
Altea mayor, Jaume Llinares, said: “The remains are from the 1st or 2nd century AD and the find came about through our agreement with Alicante University to discover and learn more about our past.”
Archaeology professor, Jaume Molina, commented: “We spotted a large number of surface ceramics at Sogai, and with the help of Altea council, we decided to do a survey using georadar which showed up some walls.”
As the excavation progressed, the Alicante team found remains of ceilings, columns and baths, leading them to conclude that it was the site of a Roman villa.
Excavations took place for a month over the summer.
Altea archaeologist, Alejandro Perez Prefasi, said: “We´ve got the chance to see how people lived in ancient times and how they used natural resource.”
“We have to investigate more to find out why the Romans were in the area and the first results will hopefully tell us more about the importance of Altea centuries ago,” he added.
Altea council plan to purchase the site with excavations set to continue over the next few years.
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