Puig de Castellet Iberian Settlement

PUIG DE CASTELLET

The Puig de Castellet Iberian fortified settlement is perched on a hill at 195 metres above sea level. The flat area on which it is located enjoys a commanding view of the coast from the Tordera Estuary to eastern edge of Lloret Beach.

Thanks to the excavation campaigns and research of materials we know that the site was inhabited for around 50 years during the 3^rd century BC. This was the time when Rome and Carthage were fighting for control over the Western Mediterranean in the so-called Punic Wars. Puig de Castellet was built between the first and the second of these wars, in around 250 BC, and was finally abandoned shortly after the end of the second war, in around 200 BC. During this difficult period, the settlement served to watch over the sea and to ensure the defence of the other nearby settlements, in particular the large settlement of Montbarbat.

The site has a pentagonal floor plan and is enclosed by walls on three of its sides, one of which has an obtuse angle. The other side is sheltered by the promontory. Within the site, there are 11 rectangular spaces composed of one, two or three rooms attached to the wall, leaving free a central area. This arrangement makes the most of the orientation and sun exposure of the site. A set of pits were dug in the central area to collect rainwater, to deposit waste or to serve as wells, collecting water from the subsoil. Furthermore, we can observe one of the site’s three kilns.

Access to and from the site was through a main entrance, protected by a tower and an angled corridor, on the east side, and through the west side, initially open but later closed and fortified.

The various spaces fulfilled different functions: they could be houses, work places, storage areas or community spaces.