Castromonte
ValladolidCastilla y León
Transparent Romance compound from the Latin castrum ('fortified camp, military fort') plus monte ('elevation, wooded mountain'), literal description of the location of the old Celtiberian castro on the hill that dominates the Hornija valley. The toponym commemorates the survival of the pre-Roman fortified enclosure in the micro-region.
Evolution of the name
- castrum + monte Latin 1st–5th centuries
- Castromonte medieval Castilian from the 11th century
Reflections, to the letter
Climbing into the old quarter, you tread the reason for the name: castro and hill, the fortified rise still shaping the village above the Bajoz valley, deep in the Torozos plateau. The town's own form, hunched on the height, is the one chosen by those who raised the stronghold the toponym has refused to let be forgotten.
Glossary
- Castrum
- A Roman military camp, originally permanent or seasonal, frequently reused in the Early Middle Ages as a defensive nucleus. The origin of hundreds of peninsular (Castro, Castrillo, Castrojeriz) and British toponyms (-chester, -caster: Manchester, Lancaster).
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
- Vaccaean Celtiberian castros
- Height fortified settlements of the Vaccaean Celtiberian people in the Northern Meseta, dated between the 6th century BC and the change of era. They are characterised by polygonal walled plan adapted to the relief, circular or oval stone and clay dwellings, and central communal facilities. The Vaccaean castro culture is archaeologically documented in deposits such as Pintia, Padilla de Duero, Castromonte and Soto de Medinilla.
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Camino de Madrid