Ancient Roman Gold Mines Discovered in Spain’s Pyrenees

Archaeologists used luminescence dating at Guilleteres d’All in Spain’s Eastern Pyrenees to date a hydraulic mining structure to the Roman period.

The structure was likely used to extract alluvial gold from river deposits in the 3rd to 4th centuries CE.

This is the first direct archaeological evidence that Romans mined gold in the Pyrenean region.

The finding sharpens understanding of ancient mining in the area and the role of nearby Roman administration at Iulia Livica and Llívia.