In a quiet corner of southern Spain, a hilltop excavation revealed a surprise no one saw coming: the remains of a Roman-era man, buried inside a prehistoric fortress abandoned more than two millennia earlier. It’s a discovery that has archaeologists both intrigued and puzzled.
Back in 2021, preventive digs ahead of a solar farm project near Almendralejo brought to light a Neolithic fortress — and a mystery buried within it. The Iberian Peninsula has seen its share of ancient fortresses uncovered, but this one stood out for its complexity and for what was hidden inside.
A particularly elaborate fortress
According to LiveScience, the fortress dates back to the Chalcolithic period, also known as the Copper Age, around 3000 BCE. Built at the cusp of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, it shows an impressive level of planning. Aerial images reveal a fortress ringed by a nonagon-shaped outer wall, lined with small protrusions called bastions.
These bastions weren’t just decorative — they served a tactical purpose, giving defenders the upper hand in case of attack. Although common in later antiquity, such features are rare for prehistoric fortifications. The largest wall spans 77 meters, enclosing two smaller inner defenses and a central area, all divided by trenches.
Centuries later, similar bastions were refined by engineers like Vauban under Louis XIV. But seeing them here — from a time before metal tools were widespread — is remarkable.
A Roman soldier in a Bronze Age tomb?
The real twist came when archaeologists found human remains in the ruins. A man, aged between 25 and 35, had been laid to rest in a fortress that had been deserted for some 2,500 years. Even more curious? He was buried with a pugio, a Roman military dagger — a clear sign he may have been part of the Roman legions that controlled Hispania from 218 BCE onward.
Was he a soldier? A deserter? Possibly someone who died during travel or illness? Experts doubt foul play. In Roman times, it wasn’t unusual to use abandoned structures as burial sites. The fortress, long unused, may have offered a quiet resting place or even a temporary shelter for passing troops.
An open-ended mystery
Why was this man buried here, centuries after the site’s use had ended? Could the fortress have had symbolic significance long after it fell out of use?
While we don’t yet have all the answers, forensic studies may uncover clues about his life — and death — in a place where he clearly didn’t belong.
Dorian De Schaepmeester
Science writer
Born in 1998 in Toulouse, this individual developed a passion for science—particularly astronomy—and began writing about it while also practicing sky observation. After an internship at Ciel & Espace during journalism studies, they decided to focus on writing scientific articles, primarily on astronomy.
