El Burrillo archaeological site
Roman and medieval period site in San Sebastián de los Reyes
El Burrillo archaeological site
The area of action is located on the lower terrace of the Jarama River, on a plain of sandy soils with a slight downward slope to the north. The extensive plains of the Jarama river and the nearby Henares influenced the structuring of the settlement of the region, since they guaranteed the irrigation and the water supply necessary for the operation of the mills and the hot springs.
The archaeological excavation allowed documenting two different phases of occupation of the El Burrillo site, one from the Roman period and the other from the late medieval period.
Roman period (XNUMXst - XNUMXnd and XNUMXth centuries after Christ)
The remains from the Roman period documented allow the site to be given the character of a rural settlement, whose initial phase of occupation dates back to the XNUMXst century after Christ, extending well into the following century. It is followed by a stage of depopulation of the place throughout the XNUMXrd and XNUMXth centuries and a reoccupation already in late Roman times, as indicated by the last construction phase that amortizes the previous one and the associated material context.
In addition to the discovered structures, different materials, mostly ceramic, could be documented. The most documented typology corresponds to common ceramics, followed by type terra sigillata, painted ceramics and to a lesser extent, thin-walled ceramics with slips. Other documented materials are the iron and bronze objects: nails, a javelin tip, a fragment of a pruning shear, remains of a knife, two bells and two coins. Some fragments of glass corresponding to jugs, bowls and bottles were also found.
Early medieval period (VIII - X century)
During the archaeological excavation of the early medieval remains of the site, various types of structures were recorded. Twelve graves, 12 burials, and 14 imprints were counted. The pit-type structures are mostly circular, with little or no material. Only one of them contained fauna remains and another the handle of a ceramic jar. At the base these cavities had an accumulation of large edges. Concerning the burials, these are burials without furnishings with an east-west orientation, in which the corpse is in the right lateral decubitus position, with the lower extremities flexed and the arms drawn forward over the pubic region.
Conclusions
Based on the documented remains, it is possible to affirm that the Roman phase of the El Burrillo deposit would correspond to an area dedicated to the storage and transformation of agricultural products (fruitful pars), in full relation with the fertile plain of the Jarama river and perfectly related to the communication network that existed then in this part of the region, since the materials found attest that the settlement participated in the main regional and local commercial networks of the time.
The early medieval remains of El Burrillo correspond to a time when small nuclei of the Islamic population settled in the Jarama valley. The elements documented in the site suggest the existence of a farmhouse of which only the necropolis and an area of agricultural activity have been located due to the limitations of the intervention.
Images
Archaeological performance
The archaeological site of El Burrillo was listed in the Archaeological Charter of the Community of Madrid, which is why the archaeological actions that took place there were required at the request of the General Directorate of Historical Heritage. Firstly, in 2007, due to the layout of the Second Main Ring for the distribution of Potable Water in the Community of Madrid (Section I) and Branch 10 and in 2008, due to the duplication of the M-111 road in the Section R-2 to M-100 and M-106.