Celtic world - Castro of Vigo

Back in September 2011, I visited Galicia for a weekend trip, mostly focusing on the castro culture of the Gallaic Celts (as well as a lovely day trip to the Cíes Islands). This post will feature my pics from my visit to the Castro of Vigo, and in a future post I'll be talking about the breathtaking Castro de Santa Tecla in A Garda (La Guardia).

-Castro culture: "Castro culture (cultura castrexa in Galician, cultura castreña in Spanish) is the archaeological term for the material culture of the north-western regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern Portugal together with Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León, Cantabria and Basque Country) from the end of the Bronze Age (c. 9th century BC) until it was subsumed by Roman culture (c. 1st century BC). It is the culture associated with the Celtiberians, closely associated to the western Hallstatt horizon of Central Europe.  The most notable characteristics of this culture are its walled oppida and hill forts, fortified settlements known locally as castros (from Latin castrum "hillfort"), and the scarcity of visible burial practices, in spite of the frequent depositions of prestige items and goods, swords and other metallic riches in rocky outcrops, rivers and other aquatic contexts since the Atlantic Bronze Age" (Castro culture; Castros)

 

Dolmen statue in the Monte del Castro  at the start of my visit of the Castro of Vigo

Walking down to the castro

Info on the castro of Vigo in Galician

 -The Castro of Vigo (Iron Age): "El castro de Vigo es un poblado castreño situado en una pendiente del Monte del Castro de Vigo, en Galicia. Los restos excavados pertenecen a una pequeña parte del poblado que se extendería por las caras del monte, habitado entre el siglo II a.C. y el siglo III d.C. Fue abandonado pacificamente, probablemente por el traslado de sus habitantes a la zona del Areal, más próxima al mar. Basándose en la información proporcionada por el yacimiento y por otros castros similares, se reconstruyeron tres de las viviendas del poblado, que ilustran un momento inicial de ocupación romana. Estas son una vivienda circular con vestíbulo anexo, un almacén y una vivienda cuadrangular posterior a la conquista romana"  (Wikipedia).

"The castro of Vigo is a castro village situated on a slope of the Monte del Castro in Vigo, Galicia. The excavated remains belong to a small part of the settlement, covering all sides of the mountain, inhabited between the 2nd Century BC and the 3rd Century AD. It was peacefully abandoned after its inhabitants moved to the Areal area, closer to the sea.  Based on the information provided by the site and other similar castros, three of the village houses were reconstructed, depicting their probable appearance at the beginning of the Roman occupation period. These reconstructions include a circular house with an adjoining doorway, a warehouse, and a square dwelling from after the Roman conquest."  (Wikipedia, my translation).

 You can find more info on this castro here.

So without further ado, here are the rest of the pics (click or open in new tab for larger size). I enjoyed this visit very much. The road to the castro in the Monte del Castro park was beautiful; the remains of the castro were very well kept; there were helpful informative panels at hand; and the  reconstructed houses were very well made as well:

2011 Celtic enthusiast me is enjoying herself :D

The info panels at the site (also in Galician):

Next stop, the castro de Santa Tecla in A Garda!