Numancia archaeologists discover prehistoric settlement

Archaeological excavations at the Numancia site in Garray, Soria, have uncovered a prehistoric settlement that may serve as the precursor to the famous Celtiberian city. The findings, documented during the 2026 campaign, include handmade ceramics and a possible ditch from a palisade used to delimit the settlement.

These remains date back to the transition between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. Previously, the occupational sequence of Cerro de la Muela was primarily associated with the Celtiberian city of the Arevaci (4th–2nd centuries BCE) and later Roman occupation. The new evidence suggests a structured, though smaller, dispersed settlement existed on the hill prior to the Celtiberian era.

Researchers are utilizing carbon-14 dating to establish a precise chronology and better understand the lives of the inhabitants from the Late Bronze Age through the Roman conquest. The project is promoted by the Junta de Castilla y León and led by a team of archaeologists including Sergio Quintero, Carlos Tabernero, Juan Pedro Benito, and Raquel Liceras.