Oppidum de Iruña-Veleia

Spain, Spain

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Oppidum de Iruña-Veleia is a major archaeological site in Iruña de Oca, Álava province, Basque Country, Spain, spanning over 1,500 years from the late Bronze Age around 800 BC through the Iron Age to its Roman peak as Veleia until the 5th century AD.

Originally a vast pre-Roman hillfort covering 126 hectares, it flourished under Roman rule from the 1st century BC as a bustling conventus with luxurious villas, mosaics, public buildings, and the Antonine Itinerary-mentioned city on the Asturica-Burdigala road, later fortified by a 1.5-km wall with 16 towers and a south gate amid the Zadorra River meander.

Declared a Historic Monument Complex in 1984, excavations since the 19th century reveal proto-Basque inscriptions, sculptures, and late antique layers, with medieval reuse as a San Juan Order priory, offering panoramic views of its enduring walled core.