Traditionally, the study of the Roman military presence in Galicia (Spain) and Northern Portugal has been based on the fragmentary documentation offered by Greek and Latin authors or epigraphy, with archaeology occupying a very secondary place in these historical narratives. In particular, the information is very scarce for the period between the 2 century BCE and 1 century CE, when these territories were conquered and integrated into the Roman world. This work presents new Roman military sites discovered through an integrated methodology involving an intensive application of remote sensing techniques in order to provide information to foster a paradigm shift in this field of study. Distributed over a wide geographical area and displaying a wide morpho-typological and locational diversity, this new archaeological evidence not only reflects the ability of the Roman army to adapt to local natural and cultural environments, but also reveals a major operational and logistical assortment that may relate to the diachronic nature of the military presence in the region.

This work was supported by the postdoctoral research projects “On war, on peace: re-evaluating the impact of the Roman military presence in the Lower Rhine, Britain and NW Iberia through Archaeology” (ED481B 2016/117-0) and “The archaeological landscapes of the Roman frontier: comparative perspectives on resources exploitation, social change and imperialism through a non-invasive methodology” (IN606B-2016/002) funded by the Regional Government of Galicia and the Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) as part of their 2016-2019 postdoctoral research programmes, and “Negotiating and contesting marginal landscapes on the Western fringes of the Roman Empire” funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 794048