Reccopolis
Reccopolis Shown within Spain Reccopolis Reccopolis (Castilla-La Mancha) Reccopolis Reccopolis (Province of Guadalajara) | |
| Location | Zorita de los Canes, Province of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°19′19″N 2°53′33″W / 40.32194°N 2.89250°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 578 |
| Abandoned | 9th century |
| Periods | Early Middle Ages |
Reccopolis (Spanish: Recópolis; Latin: Reccopolis), is an archaeological site located near Zorita de los Canes, a small village in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. It represents one of the Visigoth cities founded in Iberia during the post-Roman period.
Established by Visigothic king Liuvigild, who ruled Iberia in 568–86 AD, Reccopolis is one of only two cities in Western Europe known to have been founded between the fifth and eighth centuries. Its remains serve as a case study for understanding the ideas and ideals of a city in Late Antiquity, reflecting influences from classical Roman models.
Discovered in the 1890s, the site underwent archaeological excavations starting in the 1940s under Juan Cabré, with ongoing efforts revealing the monumental area within the walled enclosure. Notable remains include an aqueduct located 2 km to the east, recognized as the first new, urban aqueduct in the Iberian Peninsula in two centuries and the last built in the Roman way.