El Torcularium del asentamiento rural romano de Los Palacios, Villanueva del Pardillo (Madrid): a propósito de la producción de vino en la zona central de Hispania

The archaeological site of Los Palacios consists of a rural settlement from the Roman period, where we have identify the core of the productive part of a villa dedicated to winemaking. Next to different rooms belonging to the pars rustica, a torcularium has been located including a calcatorium or press space, a lacus or reception sink and a counterweight that is aimed to activate a beam and windlass press. At this site, there have been identified stages of building and refurbishment that show a long occupation in time. All the documentation and materials registered give us a chronology from the end of the 1st century AD to the end of the 4th or early 5th century. Los Palacios has become a site with outstanding interest, because it is the first centre of wine production at this scale that has been found in the area of the province of Madrid.El yacimiento de Los Palacios constituye un asentamiento de carácter rural de época romana, en el que se ha identificado el núcleo principal de la parte productiva de una villa dedicada a la elaboración del vino. De esta forma, junto con diversas estancias pertenecientes a la pars rustica, se ha localizado un torcularium que incluye la presencia de un calcatorium o espacio de pisa, un lacus o pileta de recepción y un contrapeso destinado al accionamiento de una prensa de viga y torno. En el yacimiento se han reconocido diferentes episodios de construcción y remodelación, que nos indican una ocupación extensa en el tiempo. El registro material documentado nos aporta una cronología desde finales del siglo I d. C. hasta finales del s. IV o principios del siglo V d. C. Los Palacios constituye un yacimiento de excepcional interés, ya que es el primer centro de producción de vino de esta magnitud excavado en el ámbito de la Comunidad de MadridThe archaeological site of Los Palacios consists of a rural settlement from the Roman period, where we have identify the core of the productive part of a villa dedicated to winemaking. Next to different rooms belonging to the pars rustica, a torcularium has been located including a calcatorium or press space, a lacus or reception sink and a counterweight that is aimed to activate a beam and windlass press. At this site, there have been identified stages of building and refurbishment that show a long occupation in time. All the documentation and materials registered give us a chronology from the end of the 1st century AD to the end of the 4th or early 5th century. Los Palacios has become a site with outstanding interest, because it is the first centre of wine production at this scale that has been found in the area of the province of Madrid