ALICANTE, SPAIN—According to a statement released by the University of Alicante, a team of archaeologists led by Fernando Prados of the university’s Institute for Research in Archaeology and Historical Heritage uncovered a cache of Roman weapons dating to around 100 B.C. at the site of Son Catlar on the island of Menorca. Knives, arrowheads, spearheads, and other projectile weapons were discovered inside a defensive gate built by Punic peoples to protect against attack by the Romans, who conquered the Balearic Islands in 123 B.C. Prados explained that the weapons were likely buried there as part of a ritual by superstitious Roman soldiers, who ascribed magical qualities to doors and often deposited objects in entrances to ward off evil spirits. The researchers also found a bronze spatula and surgical tools. To read about a Visigothic capital city in Spain built in the wake of the Roman Empire’s final collapse, go to “The Visigoths’ Imperial Ambitions.”

Source: archaeology.org