RECCOPOLIS AND ITS LANDSCAPE

As reflected in the results of the archaeological excavations, the system of economic exploitation of the territory was defined mainly by a mixed agricultural-livestock use. The fertile lands of the Tagus River plain were reserved for agricultural crops of cereals and vineyards, while the surrounding plateaus contained olive groves. In these same plateau areas, the pastures and scrubland vegetation favored the existence of livestock including sheep, goats, cows, and oxen. In the more extensive wooded areas compared to today, the abundant presence of pine trees in their two varieties Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra stood out, as well as oak trees, which were used in the construction of the buildings of Reccopolis. The exploitation of natural resources also included the practice of big game and small game hunting, mainly deer and rabbit.

• The natural vegetation combined dense oak forests with thick scrublands, where the kermes oak and blackthorn bushes were protagonists. They supplied the city with firewood and charcoal, game, and honey.
• The cultivated fields were smaller than those seen today. Each property would be divided into three parts where, in successive years, cereal, legumes and fallow were cultivated.
• The less productive lands from an agricultural point of view were dedicated to pastures, mainly for sheep and goats.
• The olive groves had a more open woodland appearance than current ones, resembling a cleared forest. In addition to olives, they provided grazing for livestock.
• The orchards and fruit trees that did not require frequent irrigation were located mainly in the river valleys.
• For honey production, beehives were housed in hollowed-out tree trunks.