Excavations at the archaeological site of El Bebedero, in the Lanzarote municipality of Teguise, have uncovered remains that confirm the relationship between the Romans and the first settlers of Lanzarote.
Among the pieces found are lithic stelae of polished basalt, numerous artifacts of the same material and an almost complete Roman amphora.
The first explorations of the site began in 1985, and during this time a dozen excavation campaigns have been carried out, which have resulted in the location of numerous pieces and domestic utensils, among which an almost complete Roman amphora stands out.
The excavation works are carried out by an interdisciplinary team of archeology, led by the professor of Prehistory of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pablo Atoche, who assures that "they have served to provide abundant information about the chronological and environmental sequence of Lanzarote in the last 3,000 years".
According to Atoche, during this year's excavation campaign, work has been intensified and different Roman findings have been made in indigenous domestic areas.
Among them are the lithic stelae of polished basalt and the numerous artifacts of carved basalt, such as flakes, knives and points, that have appeared in three new constructions with characteristics similar to others known in Lanzarote.
The head of the excavation team recalls that in the previous campaign an almost complete Roman amphora was located and several fragments of others, together with numerous indigenous elements consisting of kitchen remains, such as hand-modeled ceramics, rotating mills or domestic fauna.
These were found related to two combustion structures located inside a construction built with wide stone walls.
According to the professor, thanks to the research on the findings made in El Bebedero, it has been possible to establish a line of work and investigations related to the commercial exchanges that could have been established between Romans and the indigenous population from the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD.
Atoche explained that during the works, prospecting is being carried out with georadar and geolocated 3D scanning, which provides very precise information about the extension of the site and its constructive characteristics and allows planimetric surveys, virtual reconstructions and future 3D visits to be carried out.
The Teguise City Council has indicated that the current campaign is included in the project "Canarias en la Protohistoria: un modelo de colonización humana en las islas oceánicas", financed with regional funds and in which the local council collaborates.