Castillo del Casón: A Medieval Fortress Site in Spain
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Spain
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
History
Castillo del Casón is the remains of a medieval fortress in Spain, built for defence and surveillance on the 291-metre-high Castillo del Casón hill in the Capelada mountain range. Its precise date is uncertain, and the site may have been established over an earlier hillfort, a fortified settlement built on elevated ground and widespread in prehistoric and ancient Galicia.
The fortress occupied a strategic spur flanked by the Casón and Landoi streams, overlooking the Ortigueira estuary and offering views across the entire inlet. Sections of its fortification wall and defensive ditches survive on the hill. The Galician archaeologist Federico Maciñeira studied the site, helping to draw attention to its possible medieval defensive role and earlier occupation.
