Rome emerges in Vilanova d’Alcolea

On the 10th and 11th of May, the presentation of an exceptional archaeological piece and
the latest interventions carried out at the archaeological site of Hostalot-Ildum will take place
in the town of Vilanova d’Alcolea. This enclave, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest due to
its high heritage value, housed the remains of a hostel next to the royal road between
Barcelona and Valencia between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, which is why it
received the place name of Hostalot. The facilities of this hostel take advantage of part of the
structures created in Roman times, from what was another stopping and resting point, this
time in imperial Roman times. Most researchers dedicated to the study of the Via Augusta
agree in identifying the remains of the Hostalot with the mansio Ildum, an official station
named in the Vases of Vicarello, present in the Antonine Itinerary, where it is located halfway
between Dertosa and Saguntum. A mansio was a post station for the rest and maintenance of the officials of the state administration, among which the post office was especially
important, so these constructions were also part of a larger network of stations, which also
allowed the exchange of horses in communications throughout the empire.
The most outstanding piece recovered in the archaeological interventions is a silver brooch
in which Romulus and Remus are represented at the moment when they are suckled by the
she-wolf Luperca, a scene that refers directly to the myth of the founding of the city of Rome.
the piece under study in this manuscript was recovered within the framework of the project
for the recovery, repair, conservation, maintenance and restoration of Sector I of the site, an
action carried out in 2023 thanks to the subsidies granted by the Presidency of the
Generalitat Valenciana, aimed at promoting the protection, promotion and development of
heritage, as well as the cultural revitalization, adaptation and renovation of municipal assets
and spaces of the Valencian Community. [2022/11384].
The events scheduled by the city council consist of an institutional presentation of the grand
finale that will be held on Friday, May 10. In addition to the local and regional authorities,
Marta Barrachina Mateu, president of the Diputació de Castelló and Ana Dolores Prado
Manzano, head of the Territorial Service of Culture and Sport of the Generalitat Valenciana,
confirmed their attendance at the event.
A more extensive presentation has been prepared for Saturday, May 11, on the
archaeological interventions carried out in the Hostalot-Ildum and the brooch itself, which will
take place at 5:00 p.m. in the town’s auditorium, by the archaeologist director of the
excavations, Pablo García Borja. A guided tour of the archaeological site of Hostalot-Ildum
has also been scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. In addition to these two activities, you
will be able to visit the milestone dedicated to the emperor Caracal, which appeared in 1992
next to the Via Augusta and the silver brooch itself.