Yacimiento Arqueológico “El Chuche”

Yacimiento Arqueológico “El Chuche”

The archaeological area of “El Chuche” includes the hill of El Paredón, the hill of Las Agüicas and an intermediate sector between them. In the latter, excavations were carried out at the end of the 1970s, in which numerous walls of dwelling structures and a rich and varied repertoire of materials, mainly ceramic, appeared, among them Iberian and Mediterranean imports. The documented cultural sequence goes from the Copper Age to the late Roman period. The settlement located on the Cerro del Paredón was an important Roman centre, judging by the size of the habitat and its strategic location dominating the plain of the Andarax River. Hydraulic lines of several kilometers reached the city, conserving some of its sections; the closest to the hill has been included in the area under protection. On the Cerro de Las Agüicas, some findings were also made during the excavations of the 1970s, including several tombs. Despite having suffered damage from land clearing and railway works, it is mostly intact, offering invaluable research possibilities. It should be taken into account that this is one of the few sites from the full Iberian period that are known in the areas near the coast of Almeria, identifying itself with the Iberian mint of Urkesken and with the Ibero-Roman city of Urci, cited in classical fonts. The site is located west of the town, between the N-340a and the diversion road of said municipality.

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