Natural spaces

THE VILLA OF EL ALAMILLO

THE VILLA OF EL ALAMILLO

The Roman villae houses originated from the ancient agro-fishing character held by native Roman families. They consisted of a serf-sufficient inhabited…
The Roman villae houses originated from the ancient agro-fishing character held by native Roman families. They consisted of a serf-sufficient inhabited nucleus, where frequently there was an infrastructure for exploiting farming resources, areas of artisan workshops, and in the villae in this area, industrial areas for salted fish preparation. This villa is a house that must have been built in the second half of the 1st century A.D. and was abandoned at the end of the next century, although perhaps continuing to be used until the first years of the 3rd century. Originally, it was a terraced construction differentiated into two parts: one residential area with corresponding thermal water pools; and another service or industrial part. This second part is now open for visitation, exhibiting the six salting basins dedicated to producing salted fish and Garum fish sauce along with a group of rooms around a patio. The villa’s economic activity would be focused on two sectors. On the one hand, the existence of basins leads us to believe it served a small-scale fishing business. On the other hand, this activity would be complemented with agricultural activities on their lands that could be irrigated thanks to the nearby El Alamillo Reservoir.