Ancient Roman Military Camp Found in Spain

A stash of ancient ammunition has pinpointed where a Roman army camp once hunkered down in Spain's Pyrenees—and where local fighters sprang a deadly trap, reports Archaelogy.org. Archaeologists in the Cerdanya region say dozens of lead sling bullets uncovered at an alpine pass called Collet de Jovell mark the site of an ambush by the Ceretani people in 39BC, a revolt long known from Roman texts but thought to have occurred farther west, reports Live Science.

Two of the bullets are stamped "CND," linking them to Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, then-governor of the Roman province of Hispania, and helping date the clash to the year recorded by historian Cassius Dio, according to a statement from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Researchers also found iron sandal studs, brooches, and coins from Roman troops, evidence that the camp was hit hard enough that gear was left behind. The discovery underscores that Rome's push into Iberia, which began in 218BC, dragged on for generations and was anything but straightforward. The Ceretani's uprising ultimately failed, the team notes, triggering harsh reprisals against locals—and punishment for Roman soldiers who fled the surprise attack.