Thread by @magago

Just one word: BEAUTY.
The winter forest still hides most of the Roman time houses in the A Cibdá de Armea hillfort (Allariz, #Galicia).
But this site also hides an intriguing story on people dealing with their ancestral identity during Roman rule.
#HillfortsWednesday
👇👇👇

Archaeologist excavated recently in the Atalaia (trans, 'the Watchtower') area, just in the lower terraces of the hillfort. A lot of spectacular findings were found there during the 1950's digs.
#HillfortsWednesday

They found an extremely well preserved neighbourhood of a Roman town dated between I and III centuries AD. Roads, portici, and even the oldest wine cellar in the whole Gallaecia.
#HillfortsWednesday

So the two domi excavated were fully Roman in its layout and material culture. Of course, they used local stone, but, well, all of it was 'classic' Roman at its best!
But there were something weird according to our modern eyes and view on colonial practices.
#HillfortsWednesday

Because these so-Romanized guys massivelly filled their houses of fine and ellegant stone artworks inspired in their ancestral culture. Triskelions, hexapetals, solar disks and stone severed heads, taking care of them from the walls.
#HillfortsWednesday

After the Roman conquest, in A Cibdá de Armea hillfort, locals produced stunning stone warriors, decorated with all the panoply of the Iron Age combatants. Scholars have discussed about the meaning of all this aesthetic vintage fever. A new elite was rising?
#HillfortsWednesday

So, inhabitants of Armea adopted the Roman way of life but still they preferred their old aesthetics. And not only was a elite thing.
This is gorgeous.
In this racloir another modest warrior was depicted. Punky hairstyle, next to a (sacred?) tree.

#HillfortsWednesday

Along History, colonialism brings about enormous changes in the colonialized societies. But these changes not necessarily means the destruction of the former identity. Identity can be redefined, repurposed or even an instrument of symbolic resilience.
#HillfortsWednesday

Understanding this period of change, of reordering, of agreements, dominations, resistance and adaptations is one of the biggest issues in Galician archaeology. In this beautiful artworks, in these towns hidden by woods, there is a big story to be told.

#HillfortsWednesday

Illustrated reconstructions of the houses and the illustration of the 'punky' warrior by Armea Project from the GEAAT archaeological group of @uvigo.