Archive image of the archaeological excavations in the Plaza de la Constitución. A.J.

Archaeological excavations in Cártama near completion after 15 years of studies

The work in the Plaza de la Constitución has come to an end and the town hall is currently preparing the award of the works to carry out an excavation in one of the few areas that remains to be investigated

Monday, 8 August 2022, 08:26

The archaeological excavations of the Plaza de la Constitución in Cártama have come to an end after 15 years of studies in the area, which have produced numerous historical discoveries.

The town hall is currently preparing the award of the works to carry out an excavation in Calle Toril, one of the few areas that remain to be investigated. These works are necessary to develop the design that will eventually turn this central square into a museum and leisure area, with an investment of 2.7 million euros.

This new archaeological project, which was put out to tender several weeks ago, has a budget of more than 150,000 euros and an execution period of three months. These works are considered necessary as a preliminary step to the design of the remodelling of the square.

The excavation of the Plaza de la Constitución has revealed archaeological finds from all historical periods from the 8th century BCE, including dwellings and walls of an Iberian settlement, a Roman basilica and Byzantine-Visigothic buildings.

The excavation of the basilica lasted more than 15 years due to the difficulties that arose in its extraction. The main obstacle was the five-metre difference in height between the current street and the Roman pavement, which could have caused the collapse of the street and the surrounding houses.

In May, the town hall gave the green light to the basic project for the remodelling of the Plaza de la Constitución. The proposal chosen for the creation of the new square, Memory Scenarios, was selected from 29 ideas entered in a competition organised by the council in 2020.

The objective of the project is to convert the central square into a public space that can host cultural activities and events. The proposal also includes the construction of an open-air museum to enable visitors to observe and understand the archaeological remains that have been discovered in the area.