COLL DEL MORO IBERIAN SETTLEMENT

About the site

The Coll del Moro Iberian Settlement, in the municipality of Gandesa (Terra Alta), is an impressive example of a crafts and manufacturing settlement of the Iberian tribe of the Ilercavones. Given its strategic position in the territory of Ilercavonia, it must have been a major settlement because it would have controlled trade between the coast and inland areas.

The site stands on a table hill and consists of a fortified structure with a large tower at the highest point, thus giving it a commanding view of the entire settlement. The surviving part of the tower, which is ellipsoid in floor plan, is eight metres high and is testimony of the settlement when it was at the height of its splendour.

Archaeological excavations have found evidence of the existence of considerable manufacturing activity, mainly related to the production of wine. Indeed, recent archaeological digs have unearthed what is the oldest winepress in Catalonia, dating from the 3rd century BC. Other finds include a workshop where fabric and leather goods were made, large structures for storing and preserving artisanal produce and goods, as well as the area given over to housing.

The hill on which the Coll del Moro Iberian Settlement stands has steeply sloping flanks that are difficult to climb, giving the village excellent protection. A number of walls up to 4 metres thick at the base add to the village’s defensive capabilities. A second structure excavated out of the rock could be a rectangular fosse. Studies conducted around the site indicate that the settlement could have covered an approximate surface area of 3,300 m².

The origins of the settlement date back to the 6th-5th century BC. In the final quarter of the 3rd century BC, so after the Second Punic War, Coll de Moro became a completely fortified settlement rather than a village defended by a lookout tower. Another notable feature of the Coll del Moro site is its necropolis, one of the few to have survived in Iberian settlements in Catalonia.

The Coll del Moro site is on the Iberian Route.