YACIMIENTO ARQUEOLÓGICO DE ORETO-ZUQUECA
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Historic environment
It is a large archaeological complex, Oreto-Zuqueca, which extends through the Cerro del Obispo and the Cerro de Oreto or Domínguez, as well as the valley between them.
It is located just over 4 km southeast of Granátula de Calatrava. On the Cerro de Oreto there are walls, towers, streets, houses and urban planning; Although there are indications of prehistoric presence, the origin as an Iberian habitat, oretano, is in the s. V BC advanced, it was the capital of Oretania.
The area underwent Romanization and then the plain area was occupied, where activity has been located since the s. I BC, but above all a Visigoth phase with architectural structures of an episcopate, that of Oretum, possible basilica and annexes, baptistery and other indeterminate rooms; A large necropolis has also been located with a great variety of types of tombs, highlighting one with a lauda musiva and mention of the deacon Aurelius Vincentius; next to these ecclesiastical architectural remains, a baptismal pool and annexes have been located.
Description
The Gothic buildings show at least two chronological phases, one between the 5th and 6th centuries and another from the s. VII, being notable the existence of more than 50 elements of Gothic architectural sculpture and spolia of previous Roman structures, a period from which there is an important ford of the Jabalón river, which had an important Roman bridge, still partially visible, ordered to be built by Publio Baebio Venusto (end of the 1st century – beginning of the 2nd century AD); from 
the s. VIII is transformed into an early Islamic population, among whose urbanism the oldest hammam of al-Andalus has been documented; Constructions of two Islamic stages are distinguished, in which it seems to have had a palatial area; With the Christian conquest it formed part of the Order of Calatrava, being the seat of a priory and giving way to a profound remodeling of the medieval architecture of the place, from an early date of the s. XIII. Starting from the medieval phase, various remodeling and reinforcement works have been carried out that have allowed today to contemplate the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Oreto y Zuqueca, which houses the image of the Virgin of Zuqueca, also showing in the structure of the building numerous Roman and Visigothic architectural pieces reused in their reforms.
Antonio Poveda for URBS REGIA
Other interesting information
Schedule:
Monday to Tuesday: closed
Wednesday to Thursday: 12:00 to 14:00
Saturday to Sunday: 10:00 to 11:30
Entrance fee: €2.5
Bibliography
Garcés, A., Romero, H., “Yacimiento arqueológico de Oreto-Zuqueca”, en Investigaciones Arqueológicas
en Castilla La Mancha, 1996-2002, Salamanca, 2004, pp. 307-324 .
Garcés, A., Romero, H., Fuentes, A., “Yacimiento arqueológico Nuestra Señora de Oreto-Zuqueca”, en
Patrimonio Arqueológico de Ciudad Real, Valdepeñas, 2000, pp. 241-255.
Romero Salas, H., “La lauda sepulcral paleocristiana del yacimiento de Oreto y Zuqueca, Granátula de
Calatrava”, Ciudad Real”, Calatrava Estudios 1, Miguelturra, 2019, pp. 131-168.
Poveda Navarro, A.M., Fuentes Sánchez, J.L., “Lauda musiva sepulcral de Oretum (Granátula de Calatrava, Ciudad
Real) y su contexto paleocristiano”, VII Reuniò d’Arqueologia Cristiana Hispànica, Tarragona, 2019,
pp. 471-479.
Portals
Phase: Visigoth
Style: Transition
Period: 6th Century
State of conservation: Excavated
Situation: Granátula de Calatrava (Ciudad Real)
Gallery
Other monuments of interest
CASTILLO DE CALATRAVA LA NUEVA (R)
CASTILLO DE PEÑARROYA (R)
SANTA MARÍA DEL COLLADO (R)
ORATORIO DE VALDECANALES
CASTILLO DE CONSUEGRA (R)
