Abstract: In this paper we present the results of the excavation of a pre-Roman civil structure at the hillfort of Monte Ornedo (Cantabria, Spain). Its morphology, compartmentalisation and, above all, its functionality relate it directly with the saunas of the Hispanic Northwest, from Portugal to Asturias, or with the Irish fulachta fiadh and Atlantic burnt mounds. It is the first sauna documented in ancient Cantabria. Here we present its interpretive structural study and describe the materials found. With these and the radiocarbon determination, we can date this building in the late Iron Age, between the 2nd century BC and the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC).

Resumen: En el presente artículo se presenta los resultados de la excavación del Sondeo 3 del yacimiento prerromano de Monte Ornedo (Valdeolea, Cantabria), una estructura cuya compartimentación y funcionalidad parecen relacionarla con una sauna.