A new approach to the Castilian-Nasrid borderBelmez castle and the watchtowers of the Sol and the Lucero (Belmez de la Moraleda, Jaén, Spain)

Abstract

This paper aims to present the results of the archaeological research carried out in one of the sectors that formed the Castilian-Nazari frontier between the 13th and 15th centuries in the Iberian Peninsula. Several surface surveys and archaeological excavations carried out by the universities of Granada and Jaén have allowed us to delve into very interesting questions about the defensive system that managed the castle of Bélmez and the watchtowers of the Sol and the Lucero. These studies have focused on the stratigraphic analysis of the preserved elevations and structures of both the castle and the watchtowers. This has made it possible to identify different construction phases ranging from the first Islamic defensive materialisation around the 12th and 13th centuries to its abandonment in the 16th century. The material and constructive evidence documents processes of transformation and refortification, linked to the strategic control of the territory and the continuous adaptation to changes in the military context due to the changes of hand and property in this area. At the same time, and only as a supplement, a visibility analysis has been carried out using the QGIS tool, aimed at assessing the visual coverage and articulation of the system. The results show the joint functionality of the castle as a control centre and the watchtowers as advanced observation posts, with a layout adapted to the relief to guarantee communication and surveillance of the south-eastern corridor of Sierra Mágina. The data allow us to interpret the complex as an active defensive unit, linked to the late medieval border logic and the tactical use of the landscape. This research provides a renewed reading of the role of these structures, which until a few years ago lacked a methodological application of archaeology in comparison with other sectors of the frontier that divided the Crown of Castile with the Kingdom of Granada.