Castro del Monte do Facho

This Gallaecian-Roman archaeological site is situated on the hilltop of Alto do Facho. It was occupied by different groups over time: from a community on the side of the hill between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE to a Gallaecian fortified hillfort settlement, a castro, which lasted until the 1st century BCE. The outer wall, ditch and some stones from the houses are still preserved, as well as the waste disposal areas on the edges of the settlement and the current topography of the hill caused by both its construction and the natural environment. A sanctuary was built on the hilltop at a later date. From the 2nd to the 4th centuries CE it witnessed the transition from the old beliefs to the cultural assimilation of the region into the Roman Empire. The 161 altars situated on the top must have looked like a forest around 2000 years ago. They were built as votive offerings and bore inscriptions that included the deity’s name and sometimes even the offeror’s name and the reasons behind their construction. The Gallaeci adapted the altars in Monte do Facho from the original Roman model. Apart from a few examples, the Gallaecian provincial environment experienced several changes, such as alterations to the land and an increase in decoration. During the last stages of the sanctuary it turned into something very different from the Roman model. This process reveals the creation of a Gallaecian-Roman aesthetic and symbolic identity. The votive altars (ara in Latin) that are part of the Gallaecian-Roman sanctuary are the most significant finds from the excavations in Monte do Facho. The sanctuary was situated on a sloped area near the top of the hill. Column remains suggest there was a building at some point, but now there is only evidence of a large number of partially buried altars scattered over most of the area. They were narrow and tall, creating what at first glance looked like a ‘forest of altars’. After the sanctuary was abandoned, the altars slowly fell apart and they have remained the same to this day.