The Asta Regia archeological site is located in the Mesas de Asta area of Jerez. Inside the marshes on the left bank of the Guadalquivir River.
The site covered 40 hectares. It is even linked to the Tartessos kingdom’s old capital. The magnificent Asta Regia, whose archaeological site is located in the Cadiz municipality of Mesas de Asta, north of Jerez de la Frontera, was a Roman-named city. Despite the fact that it had been inhabited since the fourth millennium BC.
Contents
The archeological site
Between the cities of Trebujena and Jerez de la Frontera, a wheat field hides it. That also safeguards it, which is the largest site in the province of Cádiz that has yet to be discovered. The Roman city of Asta Regia was founded in a place with Neolithic, Tartessian, and Iberian origins. It lies beneath the fields of the rural community of Mesas de Asta, spanning more than two millennia of history.
Manuel Esteve’s investigations in the mid-twentieth century led him to conclude that it was a Tartessian hamlet that eventually grew into a major Roman metropolis in Baetica. In the year 2000, they designated it as a Site of Cultural Interest under the category of Archaeological Zone.
The ancient city
From the Neolithic until the Islamic period in the 10th century, there exist signs of human presence. According to historians, the city was more important in Roman times than Baelo Claudia or Itálica, hence the name Regia. They have recently discovered that until the 10th century, it possessed a mosque. They also have discovered various plaques with inscriptions in the region. Furthermore, the existence of suburbs and a necropolis appears to be established.
Different room structures from different eras
Different housing structures from various periods (mostly from the Islamic period), remains of the Ibero-Roman wall, production areas dedicated to the manufacture of ceramics, and the aforementioned necropolis, with more than 570 tombs unearthed from the Tartessian period.
Asta Regia differs from other sites in that it contains a superposition of different stratigraphic levels marked by the passage of the various cultures and civilizations that inhabited it. With the earliest vestiges and structures from the Islamic occupation period. A second level from the Ibero-Roman period. A third level from the Turdetan period. A fourth level from the Phoenician remains. And finally, the Tartessian remains.
Other things to do in the area
After a long day visiting the archeological site, you can spend the rest of the day in the city of Jerez. The city centre of Jerez has been declared “Historic-Artistic Grouping”, and this is not surprising! You can choose to visit the many churches disseminated in Jerez, among which the majestic Cathedral of San Salvador stands out. You can also eat in the famous tabancos and do a tapas tour. Or maybe, try the famous sherry wine.
If you want to know more about Asta regia or about Cadiz please contact us in info@alsherry.com or visit our website. We will be happy to help !!