Ulaca's Iron Age Shrine

sketchfab

Ulaca, nestled in the heart of Amblés valley within Avila, Spain, boasts an impressive Iron Age oppidum spanning a massive 70 hectares and fortified with a 3-kilometer-long wall. This formidable settlement takes its place as one of the largest fortified communities across the Iberian Peninsula, reaching its zenith between 300 B.C and 50 A.D. The most striking landmarks within Ulaca's confines are the sauna and "the sacrifice altar", a rectangular rock formation measuring 16 by 8 meters, adorned with a double stairway and an intricate system of interconnected concavities. Latin inscriptions on the Panoias Altar in Vila Real, Portugal, reveal that this structure was once used for the ritual sacrifice of animals. Interestingly, the altar's alignment is perfectly synchronized with the surrounding natural landmarks such as Risco del Sol, where the slope of its exterior stairs coincides with the winter solstice. Research by Pérez Gutiérrez in 2009 shed new light on Ulaca's astronomical and geometric significance through his publication "Astronomía y Geometría en la Vettonia" (Complutum 20(2): 141-164). Álvarez-Sanchis, Marín, Falquina, Ruiz-Zapatero, and Gutiérrez further explored Ulaca's significance in their 2008 study "El oppidum vettón de Ulaca (Solosancho, Ávila) y su necrópolis" (Zona Arqueológica 12: 338-361), which delves into the archaeology of Vettonia and its Iron Age settlements.