Gold earring with emerald discovered in Spain's Roman site of Los Bañales

Archaeological excavations at the Roman site of Los Bañales, in Uncastillo, have brought to light an exceptional piece, a fragment of a Roman gold earring, decorated with an emerald, which testifies to the economic strength of the city.

Credit: Javier Andreu

"The earring, which is incomplete, appeared last Thursday in a commercial area that we are excavating at a crossroads," says archaeologist and historian Javier Andreu, who is leading the work with Juan José Bienes.

"We found it at a level corresponding to the abandonment of the city in the second half of the 2nd century AD. But, because of the size of the fragment, which is 0.5 centimetres long, the section and the lobes it has, we think it can be dated between the end of the 1st century BC and the end of the 1st century AD."

Credit: Javier Andreu

"It's a small finding compared to the inscriptions we've found in other years," adds Andreu, "but it's very significant. We are going to analyze the gold to know where it comes from, because Los Bañales had very diverse commercial relationships. It could be from the Northwest of Spain, where Pliny said good quality gold was being produced; it could also come from the other side of the Pyrenees, where the latest archaeological studies are discovering activity of this type; or from any port in the Mediterranean."

"The excavation at Los Bañales focus on three areas," says Andreu, "the east-west street, a great decumano that is proving to be the best preserved Roman street alongside those of Celsa and Azaila; the facade of a commercial complex; and a street on the north-south axis."

This is the tenth excavation campaign at the site and is scheduled to conclude on 22 July.

Source: Heraldo [July 08, 2018]