Roman baths and thematic centre [Hydraulic Heritage]
Alameda's Interpretation centre comprises 37 circular pits dug into the ground and filled with sediments and archaeological materials that date from the Neolithic to the Copper Age. However, there is no consensus on their functionality
GENERAL INFORMATION
• Heritage Value of the site: Medium
• Landscape Value of the site: Low
• Condition: Medium state of repair
• Type of hydraulic structure: Baths
• Stage of the Great Málaga Path: Stage 16: Cuevas Bajas - Alameda
• Where to find it: Alameda
• Period: 1st century CE
• Architect: Unknown
• UTM Coordinates: 352693,0946, 4119330,657
HOW TO FIND IT
The site is located in the heart of the village, on Enmedio St., 17. To access the hot springs and the Thematic Centre, contact the Centro Temático del Campo Andaluz right across the street by walking there or by calling (+34) 951 192 252.
In the 1st century CE, under the current urban area of Alameda, a Roman settlement emerged, due to the exploitation of the surrounding fertile lands. The Roman baths are noteworthy for their monumentality and were in use from the 1st to the 4th century CE.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The site features the following areas:
- Thermal area where the frigidarium and caldarium are clearly distinguished.
- Two terraces where an ornamental project involving a big fountain or a nymphaeum was likely to be carried out.
- Swimming pools area.
- Chalcolithic silos area.
HISTORY
The village of Alameda stood alongside the roads that led to the Vega de Antequera region. During the Roman period, its public institutions fulfilled an important ideological role, imitating the way of life in the great metropolis.
ROMAN BATHS
These Roman baths (1st and 3rd centuries) occupy a three thousand-square-metre site in Calle Enmedio, in the heart of Alameda town. Their excavation took several years and required several archaeological digs in the 1980s.
Pottery remains and coins from the period were found in the excavations.
CHALCOLITHIC NECROPOLIS
This Necropolis consists of a series of cavities dug out of the rock. These have been calculated to date back as far as about 2000 BCE, between the Bronze and Chalcolithic Ages.
These remains were discovered during the excavation of the Roman Baths. The Necropolis is known to be closely connected with those in Alcaide and Villanueva de Algaidas and with the monumental necropolises of Cueva de Menga, Viera and Romeral, in Antequera.
Its twenty-plus shafts have been discovered to contain stone remains and well as bones and pottery.
More information
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