Roman villa of Llorís

Isona, Lleida

This Roman villa, next to the town of Isona, was already the subject of a brief news, in 1878, by Joaquim Manel de Moner. Subsequently, however, its reference was lost, until it was identified again during the systematic surveys carried out at the ager aesonensis in 1991. In 2001, the adaptation of the new route of the C-1412b road led to a preventive intervention, which led to the diversion of the planned infrastructure to preserve its remains. This intervention consisted of the surface excavation in extension of one sector and the realization of a series of exploratory trenches transverse to the rest, in order to document the existence or not of structures. As a result of the intervention, the estate became the property of the Generalitat de Catalunya and years later it was conveniently closed, but the lack of stable research projects and the passage of time contributed to a progressive abandonment and the proliferation of vegetation.

Within the framework of the joint project between the University of Barcelona, on the one hand, and the Pallars Jussà County Council and the Isona and Conca Dellà City Council, on the other hand, a geophysical survey with promising results was carried out in September 2019. In 2020 we proceeded with the cleaning and excavation in extension of the surface levels in an area of about 11,000 m2 of the villa, the consolidation of the discovered structures and the creation of a visit circuit.

The excavations were restarted in 2021 concentrated in the mausoleum, the balneum and one room of the major habitational complex.

Some References

Garcés, I., Bermúdez, X., Belmonte, C., Reyes, T., Mas Florit, C., Cau Ontiveros, M. Á. (2021), La ciutat d’Aeso (Isona, Pallars Jussà) en època romano-republicana, Empúries
Garcés Estallo, I., Reyes i Bellmunt, T., Mas Florit, C., Cau Ontiveros, M.Á., Belmonte Santisteban, C., Bermúdez i López, X. (2022), Aeso (Isona, Lleida), una ciudad romana en el Prepirineo, in Small town. Una realidad urbana en la Hispania romana, Serie MYTRA, Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida.

Garcés Estallo, I., Cau Ontiveros, M.Á., Mas Florit, C., Reyes i Bellmunt, T., Belmonte Santisteban, C., Bermúdez i López, X., Arcos López, R. (2021), Chronica aesonensis 3. Recerques arqueològiques efectuades a Isona durant l’any 2021, Memòria 2021, Centre d’Estudis d’Isona i Conca Dellà, pp. 9-25.

Garcés, I., Cau, M.Á., Reyes, T., Belmonte, C., Bermúdez, X., Mas, C. (2020), Chronica aesonensis 2. Recerques arqueològiques efectuades a Isona durant 2020, Memòria 2020, Centre d’Estudis d’Isona i Conca Dellà, pp. 9-18.

Garcés Estallo, I., Cau Ontiveros, M. Á., Reyes i Bellmunt, T., Belmonte Santisteban, C., Bermúdez i López, X., Mas-Florit, C. (2020), Dinàmiques de la ciutat i del territori d’Aeso en època ibèrica i romana. Passat i futur del projecte de recerca d’arqueologia a Isona, Segones jornades d’arqueologia i paleontologia del Pirineu i Aran, pp. 120-130.

Garcés, I., Cau, M.Á., Reyes, T., Belmonte, C., Bermúdez, X., Ma s, C. (2019), Chronica aesonensis 1. Recerques arqueològiques efectuades a Isona durant 2019, Memòria 2019, Centre d’Estudis d’Isona i Conca Dellà, pp. 11-19

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