The origins of Complutum: the discovery of the ground plant of San Juan del Viso’s Roman city (Guadalajara, Madrid)

Abstract

The discovery of the plan of a new Roman city on San Juan del Viso hill (Villalbilla, Madrid), has shown new evidences that might change the traditional interpretation of the origin and development of early Romanization in the Henares valley. Until now, scholars have focused on the city of Complutum, at Henares valley, to explain such development. The city uphill has a Hippodamean plan and its foundation is related to a pre-Roman settlement, and the legionary fortress in close nearby. By using aerial photographs combined with orthophotos and archaeological surveys, we have identified the limits and distribution of these three settlements on the hill. The city of San Juan del Viso has a grid pattern with straight streets and rectangular several, different buildings and a theatre. The present work compares this settlement pattern uphill with the city of Complutum in order to understand the origin and development of Roman occupation in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. This brings new light to the debate on early Romanization in this region; as a result, the conventional interpretation of Complutum should be reexamined.