Archaeologists stumble upon ‘hidden empire’ amid lost Roman settlements, their find reveals...

In a fruitful mistake, archaeologists discovered a "hidden empire" amid ancient Roman settlements in Spain.

The team of archaeologists had aimed to find at least one settlement in Spain's Sierra de Cádiz region when the project was started in 2023, but were stunned to discover 57 Roman Empire-era sites of an ‘unprecedented nature’.

According to the researchers, this discovery can also be related to the trade and communication routes in the region.

Currently, the archaeologists are carrying out a second phase of research to decode how the sites are linked. This is the first time the researchers are analysing the ancient Roman settlementsin the area extensively.

The archaeologists discovered 57 Roman Empire-era sites which were of an ‘unprecedented nature’. The sites were discovered in the middle valley of the Guadalete River.

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The University of Cadiz's researchers focused on settlements which were present in areas near Arcos de la Frontera, Bornos, Villamartin and Puerto Serrano. These areas appear to have been interconnected by the Guadalete River in ancient times, because of which experts suspect they were part of a hidden empire.

Archaeologists use geo radar to find hidden empire

Geo radar, which is a tool for detecting any hidden objects underground, was used by the team in the process of finding the lost Roman settlements.

According to the researchers, these findings will help them understand the presence of the Roman Empire in the valley of the Guadalete River more than 2,000 years ago.

"The objective is to know the interaction of the Bay of Cadiz with the settlement of the Guadalete River depression during the Roman period, an aspect practically unknown until now," the researchers wrote in the report.

The Romans are known to have settled near the Guadalete River after conquering Spain in 264 BC, however, researchers have failed to confirm when they built the newly discovered structures.

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"The data we have has allowed us to generate a solid base of archaeological information and documentation to continue with research in the coming years in this environment," said Lara, who is a professor of archaeology at the University of Cadiz, in a statement.

"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 analyse 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," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)