Ancient building discovered in Calpe

A TEAM of archaeologists has made a last-minute discovery during a two month dig near Calpe rock.

It follows the unearthing of a large defensive bastion last year, which was five metres wide and 6.5 metres long. It had walls 1.3 metres thick, and was considered an extremely important find. This tower that had the function of defending the town from a high viewpoint, and was illustrated in an 1809 book by French traveller Alexandre de Laborde.

Whilst working on the tower, the team then focused efforts on working in its vicinity, and made a surprising dis- covery. The found a doorway 1.5 metres wide, which then led into part of a building 3.1 metres wide. The function of this construction, which has been temporarily named ‘Building 13’, is as yet unknown. It is thought to date back to the fourteenth century.

As the archaeologists have finished their dig for this year, they will have to wait until they can return to excavate the interior and find any artefacts. One hypothesis is that it could have been an animal shelter.

The discovery opens the possibility of finding more ancient inhabited spaces near the rock. This is the main objective of research which will take place in this area in the coming years.

The works have been carried out by a team from MARQ – the archaeological museum of Alicante. This year’s dig began in July, and continued until the end of August, when the building was discovered during the final week of work.