A Phoenician village dating from around 800 BCE has been excavated by archaeologists and is now open to visits from the public in Villaricos.
Cuevas townhall and the Junta de Andalucía have been working together to make the area safe for visitors and it was opened this week.
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It’s located by the mouth of the Almanzora river.
The area is believed to have been inhabited since the Copper Age, but under the Phoenicians it became a thriving village believed to have been known as Baria, in around 800 BCE.
The inhabitants dried fish and prepared esparto (the local grass) to be woven into products such as baskets or sandals, all for export along the coast.
They are also believed to have mined the hills behind Villaricos, as a foundry has been found there.
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The main area of Baria is thought to be lost under the modern day
village, but this area seems to have been the port and industrial area. A necropolis has also been found nearby. The area was also occupied by the Romans until it was abandoned after they left.
Almeria360.es has more quotes from self important politicians on the matter.
The ‘Cerro Montroy’ area on the map appears to be very close to radioactive ‘Zone 6’ from the Palomares nuclear accident (see page 8 of http://www.jaea.go.jp/fukushima/pdf/decon_e_06.pdf ). I saw no mention of this in the Spanish newspaper reports, nor of the issue of digging up soil in an area that is known to be contaminated.
It’s just off to the right! It’s also the area being used as the campsite for the Dreamfields. Hey, it’s been there since the 60’s and nobody’s dead yet, right? 🙂