El Pic de l'Aguila

The archaeological site Pic del'Aguila (Eagle's Beak) is located on the most westerly height of the Montgó massif, on a long, narrow east-west spur. The topography is like a platform, sloping towards the west, between about 374 and 484 metres above sea level.

 

The site includes strategic defence walls, situated at the two ends of the spur and in the centre, and also the remains of domestic buildings. The concentration of these dwellings confirms the existence of a living area, with an architecture and urban design of a clearly defined chronological context. Even though the fortification and the living area are united and are from the same time period, they have never been assessed in conjunction, and have often been presented as separate archaeological problems.

The fortifications of Pic de l'Aguila show a great technical and typological homogeneity. There are three lines of wall, subdivided in their turn into sections by their present state of their preservation. They divide the mountainous spur in a mainly north-south direction, in a way that assures, at least at the two extremes, the guarding and defence of the only possible access routes - one situated to the northeast, approaching from the east and from the area of the Cova de Aigua, and the other situated to the west, in line with the Coll de Pous. The north and south sides of the spur have sheer drops, making any fortification unnecessary. The central wall was apparently related to the defence of the northeast access, and is in a direct relation to the remains of dwellings mentioned above.

The building technique is simple and uniform. The wall consists of an external and internal facing composed of rough dry stone walling. The centre is filled with splinters of limestone. The ruins of some sections of the wall display the same technique and treatment. The walls are cemented onto the rocky surface of the spur, and their layout is in harmony with or adapted to the characteristic of the mother rock. Their width is between 2.5m and 4m, depending on the walls.

As for the typology, the walls lack towers or buttresses, and in the case of wall number 2 there is unmistakable evidence of the purposeful use of angled sides. These bends in the wall, clean, with well-constructed angles or corners present a question that often appears in the archaeological literature, reminiscent of the Hellenistic parallel walls from the fourth and third centuries B.C.

Between the west wall and the middle wall, around a watercourse on a gentle slope situated on the northeast of the spur, there's a wide zone of visible structures, extending to more than a hectare, and a great density of archaeological pieces. Various superficial digs (prospecting) have provided broad, representative archaeological information. Amongst the ceramics, in which common Iberian ceramics are well represented, there is a high percentage of Italian imports: black glazed tableware, "beoides" de Cales, (not in my dictionary), fine walls of Italian origin, platters with an internal red glaze from Pompeii, as well as plentiful Italian amphoras (big vessels for shipping wine or oil). These items help archaeologists define quite precisely the archaeological period of the ruins.

The discovery of archaeological materials of bronze or iron, presumably related to the military apparel or gear of Roman soldiers, suggests a possible relation to the Sertorian Wars (Roman civil wars between 80-72 BC, which included campaigns in the Spanish provinces). The port of Denia undoubtedly played a vital role in these wars, possibly requiring this hillside fortification as a lookout and defence post. In any case, what we have here is a habitation from the late Roman Republican period, placed in the second quarter of the first century BC, with strong commercial ties to Italy. It no doubt enjoys a fundamental role in the genesis of the Roman city of Dianum.

Translated from the Spanish and adapted by Mary Sears
"Parque Natural del Montgo - Estudio Multidisciplinar" - Valencia: Conselleria d'Administració Pública, Agencia del Mediambient. 1990