On the summit of the Cerro del Gollino hill near Corral de Almaguer in the province of Toledo, archaeologists of the third excavation campaign of 2026 discovered a large building which, judging by its size and the finds, may have served as the residence of the local Carpetanian elite.
This fortified settlement, with an area of about eighteen hectares, existed from the end of the third century to the middle of the first century BC — a period when serious political changes were taking place on the Iberian Peninsula on the eve of the Roman conquest.
Inside and around the building were found not only high-quality local products but also pottery brought from various regions of the Iberian Peninsula and from afar — from Mediterranean centres. Such finds point to the participation of the oppidum's inhabitants in extensive trade networks that reached far beyond the immediate surroundings.
The history of research on the site began back in 1985–1986, then followed a long interruption, and systematic work resumed only in 2024. The current expedition is already the third in the new project.
The Carpetani left behind fewer written records than many Mediterranean peoples, so the main information about them comes precisely from archaeological excavations. Confirmation of the building's elite status will allow a better understanding of social stratification within the settlement.
The international team, led by the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Oxford, includes researchers and students from Spain, Canada and the United States. The joint efforts are aimed at reconstructing the picture of life of the pre-Roman societies of the Iberian Peninsula.
The presence of imported vessels does not necessarily mean that every item was a luxury accessible only to the elite. Rather, it shows that the communities of the inland region did not exist in complete isolation and actively participated in the exchange of goods.
The excavations continue, and further finds may clarify the functions of the building and the nature of the Carpetani's connections with the outside world. Already now it is clear that the ancient inhabitants of these places were part of a broader network of contacts than had been commonly believed.
Every new piece of evidence of exchange helps to see how closely the fates of different peoples were intertwined long before the appearance of modern borders.
