{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T13:00:37Z","timestamp":1773752437688,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Editorial Universidad de Sevilla","issue":"35","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["SPAL"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Via XVII, a strategic Roman road linking Bracara Augusta, Aquae Flaviae, and Asturica Augusta in Northwest Iberia, is\ntraditionally dated to the Augustan period. While it has been generally assumed that major roads were constructed by the army\nduring the Principate, the direct role of the Roman military in their creation remains a specific point of inquiry. This paper explores new evidence from the Roman camp of Alto de Espinho (Montalegre, Portugal) to argue for the direct involvement of the\nRoman army in the construction of the road. Through an integrated methodology combining remote sensing, geophysical prospection, targeted archaeological excavation, and archaeobotanical analysis and radiocarbon dating, the study characterises\nthe site and establishes a firm chronology. The investigation identified a ca. 1\u2013 hectare enclosure with a roughly characteristic\nplaying-card morphology, defined by a prominent rampart and an external ditch, consistent with Roman military architecture.\nCrucially, radiocarbon dating of a charcoal sample from a sealed combustion deposit yielded a calibrated date range of 119 BC\n- AD 66. This places the occupation of this site within the range of the initial phase of the construction of the Roman road, later\nknown as Via XVII. The findings suggest that Alto de Espinho functioned as a temporary construction camp, providing logistical\nand security support to the military units building the road. This interpretation, supported by other similar sites along the route, solidifies the hypothesis of a systematic, army-led infrastructure project and provides a new framework for understanding Roman expansion and territorial organisation in the region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.12795\/spal.2026.i35.05","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T11:34:56Z","timestamp":1773747296000},"page":"150-170","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Roman military origins of the Via XVII reaffirmed by the Alto de Espinho Roman camp (Northwest Iberia)."],"prefix":"10.12795","volume":"1","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0367-0598","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Fonte","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6327-9529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gil","family":"Vilarinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2691-4583","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiago","family":"do Pereiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7203-052X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bruno","family":"Gambinhas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-7017-7186","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vanessa","family":"Cardoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-2754-2945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Carvalho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0871-8255","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jo\u00e3o","family":"Pedro Tereso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9212-4649","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Alberto","family":"Gon\u00e7alves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2768-525X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioana","family":"Oltean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"5067","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"container-title":["SPAL. Revista de Prehistoria y Arqueolog\u00eda de la Universidad de Sevilla"],"original-title":["LOS OR\u00cdGENES MILITARES ROMANOS DE LA V\u00cdA XVII CONSTATADOS POR EL CAMPAMENTO ROMANO DE ALTO DE ESPINHO (NOROESTE DE IBERIA)"],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T11:34:57Z","timestamp":1773747297000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/institucional.us.es\/revistas\/spal\/35_1\/SPAL_35_05_Fonte_etal.pdf"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"35","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.12795\/spal.2026.i35.05","relation":{},"ISSN":["1133-4525","2255-3924"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1133-4525","type":"print"},{"value":"2255-3924","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}}}