Roman mines of Tresminas

Category: Archaeology > Mine

District: Vila Real > Vila Pouca de Aguiar > Tresminas > Vales de Jales

Location

The Roman Mines of Tresminas are located in the locality of Tresminas, within the municipality of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, in the district of Vila Real. This remarkable complex is situated in the Jales Valleys, an area where the rural landscape of the Trás-os-Montes interior extends, marked by a robust natural beauty and evident human intervention over the centuries. The site offers a view of surroundings that, despite being peaceful today, bear the scars of intense historical activity.

A Millennial Legacy

The Roman Mines of Tresminas represent one of the largest and most important gold exploration complexes of the Roman Empire in the Iberian Peninsula. The site testifies to the intense Roman gold extraction activity, which peaked in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, being crucial for the empire's economy and power. The scale of the operations developed here is an eloquent testimony to the ambition and organizational capacity of the Romans in their quest for natural resources.

Roman Engineering and Exploitation Methods

What is observed here is the result of a colossal engineering feat, where the Romans applied advanced methods for the time. Notably, the ruina montium technique involved using hydraulic force, with large volumes of water, to dismantle mountains and reveal gold veins. Extensive open-cast cuts, known as "cortes" (cuts), which penetrate deep into the terrain, can be observed, as well as remnants of galleries and tunnels that extended underground. The complex network of canals and water reservoirs, essential for these large-scale operations, is still discernible on the ground.

The Landscape Shaped by History

A visit to Tresminas reveals a landscape profoundly shaped by human action over millennia. The vast cuts in the hillsides, which drastically altered the local topography, and the enormous spoil heaps, resulting from the accumulation of extracted material, are visible testimonies to the arduous work and the scale of Roman exploitation. This intervention created a unique and singular topography, where nature and the industrial past intertwine, offering a rare perspective on the relationship between humankind and the environment and the persistence of the marks of time.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt