The Monte Bernorio is an elevation located next to the town of Villarén de Valdivia, in the north of the

province of Palencia Palencia is a Provinces of Spain, province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bordered by the provi ...

(

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) where important archaeological remains have been found, as well as the remains of a fortified

Cantabri The Cantabri (, ''Kantabroi'') or Ancient Cantabrians were a pre-Roman people and large tribal federation that lived in the northern coastal region of ancient Iberia in the second half of the first millennium BC. These peoples and their territor ...

an city, which exceeds 120 ha and is one of the largest found in

and also in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. This

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

is one of the most important

archaeological sites An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

from the pre-Roman period in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, also known as Castro de Monte Bernorio.

Location

Monte Bernorio is a mountain of . Its summit has a flat shape that extends over about . Overlooking a large plain, it is located next to the town of Villarén de Valdivia, which belongs to the municipality of Pomar de Valdivia, on the Montaña Palentina, 7 km from

Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo () is a town and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located in the North of province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León. The River Pisuerga flows through its historic centre. Its 2011 population was ...

and close to the Cantabria-Meseta highway.

Conservation

Despite treasuring the history of more than 1400 years at its peak, its emblematic character in the historiography of the Iron Age and having been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1992, the Monte Bernorio site was threatened by the aggression that the project to install a wind farm with 24 wind turbines would entail if it were carried out. This is why it has been included in the Red List of Spain's Heritage in Danger, by the association

Hispania Nostra Hispania was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divided into two new provinces, Baet ...

. This project has been the object of significant popular rejection, considering it "a patrimonial aggression" of the highest level.

Archaeological site

Located in a strategic place overlooking a large plain, currently occupied by some 40 towns, this impressive hill has been used as a fort and fortress. The first archaeological excavations were carried out in 1890, commissioned by Claudio López Bru, the second Marquis of Comillas. Throughout the various archaeological campaigns carried out, a good number of constructions and utensils have been located that testify to the events that took place there, which range from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

to the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, The latest research works have been funded by public entities, mainly the Diputación de Palencia, and entities such as the

Universidad Complutense de Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid (, UCM; ) is a public research university located in Madrid. Founded in Alcalá in 1293 (before relocating to Madrid in 1836), it is one of the oldest operating universities in the world, and one of Spain's ...

, the University of Frankfurt and the University of Oxford. According to these investigations, the mountain has been occupied uninterruptedly since the to the , although there are indications of occupation during the

Chalcolithic period The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in diff ...

and the

(3000–2000 BCE ). During the 2006 survey, ceramics, weaponry and ornaments from the Iron Age were found, as well as the skeletal remains of a baby. The perimeter of the mountain was surrounded by a wall, some of the remains of which have been found, as well as an inner wall that protected the acropolis. In the 2007 campaign, the first stone and adobe walls of the houses appeared, as well as personal belongings, weapons and remains of fauna. The remains of another baby were also found. The site is completed with the remains of a Roman camp of more than 18 ha (the largest found in the Iberian Peninsula) located 2 km away, on the top of Castillejo (Pomar de Valdivia), from which two legions predictably undertook the siege. Numerous remains of military equipment have been found inside: arrowheads, ''

caligae ''Caligae'' (Latin; : ) are heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots that were worn as standard issue by Roman legionary foot-soldiers and auxiliaries, including cavalry. History ''Caligae'' (: ''caliga'') are heavy-duty, thick-soled ...

'' tacks, tent pole studs, a ''

pilum The ''pilum'' (; : ''pila'') was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about long overall, consisting of an iron shank about in diameter and long with a pyramidal head, attached to a wooden shaft by eith ...

'', bronze remains of legionary equipment and some coins. The site was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1992, with the category of Archaeological Zone.Decree 91/92 of June CR 1992. Despite the fact that in 2004, the Junta de Castilla y León ceased its financial contributions to subsidize the excavations, they have continued thanks to the aid of the Provincial Council of Palencia and the municipalities of the region. Thanks to this support, the Monte Bernorio Institute for the Study of the Antiquity of the Cantabrian Sea was created, which in 2009, planned the creation of an interpretation centre for this site. The latest discoveries made at the Bernorio confirm this site as one of the most important in Europe.

Cantabrian Castro

The Castro de Monte Bernorio has been identified by some authors as the Cantabrian city of Bergida, which was the first to be attacked by the

Roman legion The Roman legion (, ) was the largest military List of military legions, unit of the Roman army, composed of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens serving as legionary, legionaries. During the Roman Republic the manipular legion comprised 4,200 i ...

s during the

Cantabrian Wars The Cantabrian Wars (29–19 BC) (''Bellum Cantabricum''), sometimes also referred to as the Cantabrian and Asturian Wars (''Bellum Cantabricum et Asturicum''), were the final stage of the two-century long Roman conquest of Hispania, in what to ...

, whose inhabitants are supposed to have fled to Monte Vindio, although several other locations have been attributed to this mythical city. Some parts of the fort are deteriorated due to erosion, agricultural work, and fighting during the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

in October 1936, when the mountain was also used as a fortress. Remains of dwellings and fragments of pottery have been found inside. A ploughshare and other agricultural tools were also found, indicating the importance of this practice within the enclave.

Battle of Mount Bernorio

In the , the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

began its final assault on the territories dominated by Cantabrians and

Astures The Astures or Asturs, also named Astyrs, were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of the Principality of Asturias, the modern province of León, and t ...

, carried out by Emperor

Caesar Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

. In the vicinity of Pomar de Valdivia, the remains of a large Roman camp were found, one of the largest in Europe, studied by Eduardo Peralta Labrador, from which the attack and destruction of the fortress of Monte Bernorio was carried out, apparently by the powerful

Legio IV Macedonica Legio IV Macedonica ("Macedonian Fourth Legion"), was a legion of the Imperial Roman army founded in 48 BC by Gaius Julius Caesar (dictator of Rome 49–44 BC) with Italian legionaries. The legion was disbanded in AD 70 by Emperor Vespasian. The ...

. Due to the size of this camp, Peralta maintains that it had to be occupied by at least two legions. The large number of Roman artillery shells found in the area show that the siege to which the fort was subjected took place on a large scale, as evidenced by the arrowheads, crossbow projectile points and stone balls of different calibers found. Evidence has also been found that the main core was destroyed by a fire, possibly set after it was taken.

Acropolis

After the final subjugation of the Cantabrians, the Romans took advantage of the existing foundations to convert the area of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

into a ''

castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It is distinct from a , which ...

'', which they occupied from the to the 1st century AD, taking advantage of its strategic location to exert control over all adjacent territory.

References

External links

Monte Bernorio Official Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernorio Battles of the Cantabrian Wars Palencia Mountains of Spain