Iberian settlement of Els Estrets - Racó de rata · Vilafamés (EN)

The Iberian settlement of Els Estrets - Racó de Rata is one of the oldest archaeological sites in the municipality of Vilafamés and allows us to know the presence of Iberian communities in this territory several centuries before the arrival of Rome. The settlement is located in a strategic enclave that took advantage of the natural conditions of the terrain to control the environment and the defense of the village. As in many Iberian settlements in the Mediterranean interior, its location responded both to defensive criteria and to the visual dominance of the natural routes that crossed the territory. Among the preserved elements is a circular tower, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, which was part of the defensive system of the settlement and is one of the most visible testimonies of the site. The archaeological remains allow us to identify the organization of this type of settlement, with living spaces adapted to the topography of the terrain and linked to agricultural, livestock and commercial activities typical of the Iberian culture. The site of Racó de Rata allows us to understand the oldest origins of the settlement in the area around Vilafamés and shows that this territory was already inhabited many centuries before the development of the current medieval center.