Marbella starts a new excavation at the Castle to search for Byzantine remains

The City Council of Marbella has initiated a new phase of archaeological excavation at the Castle, a project that will continue until August with the aim to understand the use and dimensions of structures found in a previous campaign and “to locate traces from the Byzantine period,” as reported this Friday by the general director of Culture, Carmen Díaz.

The municipal official emphasized that this intervention is part of the strategic plan driven by the City's Culture Department, “to enhance the value of this key monument and to understand the history of the city.”

She detailed that the work focuses on determining the use and the dimensions “of some constructions of great local interest found in the previous campaign, which will allow us to significantly advance in understanding a settlement over 2,000 years old."

She also highlighted that "one of our major objectives is to locate vestiges of the Byzantine period, a historical phase about which we still have gaps in information.”

“Discovering remains from this era would be a milestone that would greatly enrich our understanding of the origins of our Old Town," said the general director of Culture, who added that the work will continue until August.

The municipal official recalled that since 2010 the City Council has been working on two main lines of action. On one hand, research through the study of the walls and conducting excavations in different sectors “which have already brought to light important remains from Roman and medieval times.”

Restoration of the Wall Sections

On the other hand, the conservation and restoration of the north and east wall sections, “ensuring the preservation of the monument.” This action was completed just a year ago, which allowed the site to be equipped with a new lighting system to enhance its appeal, and among the works carried out for the rehabilitation of the Castle were the cleaning of the masonry, mortar touch-ups where needed, and the repair of parts of the wall that had fallen, as pointed out at the time by the public works delegate, Diego López.

Measures were also taken to protect the upper part of the wall, the waterproofing of the top of the north tower, with the recovery of the flooring and the removal of parts that were at risk of falling; as well as works for water evacuation, with slopes and gargoyles. Additionally, actions were taken on the vegetation of the Castle, removing planters that were attached to the wall, and the clearing of "parasitic" plants that had taken root.

This action came to address the “serious deficiencies” that the historical vestige was showing due to the passage of time, such as “erosion in the joints that had become unprotected or the crowns that were already at the mercy of the rains and were causing numerous leaks,” specified the councilman. Now, a new step is taken to reveal the uses of the site with a new phase of excavation.