Piedra hincada: a unique roman “villa” in the “ager calagurritanus” (Pradejón, La Rioja)

Abstract

Amongst the various rural settlements from Roman period located in the surrounding area of Calahorra, Piedra Hincada is notable for the extension of its materials and the remains discovered above ground. Given that it is an agricultural land in operation, the ploughings performed regularly have enabled to recover diverse material and to know different information about the villa and its activity; but also had implied a progressive damage of the archaeological site, which entails the alert about the possible destruction of this site as the main objective of this article. The materials recovered above ground chronologically cover from oldest pottery corresponding to flavian period, to more recent ones of the fifth century. That is similar to those archaeological sites from middle valley of the river Ebro, whose neglect is widespread due to the invasions during the fifth century.