Libisosa

For the genus of moths, see Simplicia (moth).
Libisosa
Former subdivision of Iberian Peninsula

Ibero-Roman city of Lihisosa
DemonymOretanos, libisosanos
Area
 • Coordinates38°56′31″N 2°21′14″W
 • TypeIberian Oppidum - Roman colony - Medieval enclave
Today part ofLezuza, Albacete,  Spain

The archaeological site of Libisosa is located in the "Cerro del Castillo" in the municipality of Lezuza (Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha). As a result of archaeological excavations (begun in 1996 by a team from the University of Alicante led by José Uroz Sáez, and continued uninterruptedly since then),[1] it is now known that the site covers 30 hectares of remains ranging from the Late Bronze Age to the Late Middle Ages, the latter presided over by the watchtower that bears the name of the hill, and to which also corresponds a building of the military orders. From the Roman period, the late Republican wall and the forum of the Roman colony mentioned by Pliny the Elder (NH, III, 25) stand out, while the final phase of the Iberian oppidum assigned to the regio oretana by Ptolemy (II, 6, 58) stands out. The excellent preservation of structures and materials of the Ibero-Roman stage of Libisosa is due to the "burial effect" caused by its hasty and systematic destruction, which has allowed a frozen image of its state prior to the devastation to reach the present day,[1][2] which constitutes a mine for research on the Final Iberian and Republican Hispania, most of which has yet to be discovered.[3]

In 2021, steps were taken to declare the site an archaeological park. It is the second park in the province of Albacete, and the sixth in the entire Castilian-La Mancha region.[4]

  1. ^ a b Bravo, Francisca (2021-02-20). "Libisosa, una muestra "excepcional" del pasado íbero congelado en el tiempo". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  2. ^ Olaya, Vicente G. (2020-09-09). "La ciudad oretana "congelada en el tiempo"". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  3. ^ Rodríguez, Héctor Uroz (January 2020). "Libisosa: un "tesoro" para la investigación de Iberia e Hispania". Actualidad de la investigación arqueológica en España I (2018-2019) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  4. ^ La Tribuna de Albacete (2021-03-30). "Incoan el expediente para el Parque Arqueológico de Libisosa". La Tribuna de Albacete (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.