Caravia
Encyclopedia
Caravia is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain
. It is bordered on the north by the Bay of Biscay
(known in Spain as "Mar Cantábrico" or Cantabrian Sea), on the south by Parres
, on the east by Ribadesella
and on the west by Colunga
.
), the municipal capital, Duesos and Duyos. It is 68 km from Oviedo
, the capital of the principality.
There are mountain summits in the southern parts of Caravia, with Fito (631 m) being the highest. In the north there are three main beaches: Beciella, Arenal de Morís and Espasa. The beaches are separated by great cliffs along the coast. The rest of the municipality has little variation in orography
. Its main watercourse is the Romeros river.
Together with the municipalities of Colunga
, Piloña
, Parres
and Ribadesella
, Caravia is part of the geographic area known as Sierra del Sueve.
period, during the time when humans began to use stone tools. From this time period, there are ruins known as "Les Vaques" and "La Pongueta", located near Duyos, where Paleolithic humans lived near a small river and rocky escarpment.
-like tumulus
(or burial mound) near Beciella beach, by the mouth of the Romeros river. Nearby, there is also the Necrópolis de la Tuerba, formed by three tumuluses located in the coastal plain.
From this castro
-style fortification, both the sea and the mountains can be seen, making it an ideal location to oversee Caravia and Colunga. It is accessed by a meandering ramp which leads to the interior containing the foundations of rectangular huts, 4 by 3 m, separated one from another by 90 cm.
According to Aurelio de Llano in his book "The Book of Caravia", the fortification contained tools, domestic utensils, and feminine jewelry. There were fibulae made of bronze
and iron
, pendants and necklaces. One notable bronze fibula was decorated with an embossed pony. Aurelio de Llano determined that the fortification dates back to the Bronze Age
(2500 BC to 900 BC). All the pieces coming from the excavation are currently in the Archaeological Museum of Asturias
.
exists from the Roman era, known as the Stele of Duesos (La Estela de Duesos). It was discovered on the exterior of the Church of Duesos, carved in a quartzite
block. The existence of these steles, frequently embedded in Christian churches during their construction, is due to the conversion to Christianity
of places where pagan religions were formerly practiced.
The stele is a fragment without epigraph
and it is decorated on all four sides. The decoration is divided in registers, and the head is undecorated. A recurring theme of the carving is curved radii similar to a swastika
. It is similar to Roman steles, but maintains traditional indigenous features. Among the materials taken from the fortification, there are examples of decorations similar to the stele.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is bordered on the north by the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
(known in Spain as "Mar Cantábrico" or Cantabrian Sea), on the south by Parres
Parres
Parres is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Caravia and Ribadesella, on the east by Cangas de Onís, on the west by Piloña and Colunga, and on the south by Amieva.-Parishes:...
, on the east by Ribadesella
Ribadesella
Ribadesella Ribadesella is a small municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. Known for its location on the Cantabrian Sea, as well as for the outlet of the River Sella, Ribadesella is a town that forms part of the Picos de Europa...
and on the west by Colunga
Colunga
Colunga is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It lies on the Cantabrian Sea, and is bordered to the west by Villaviciosa, to the south by Parres and Piloña, and to the east by Caravia.- Politic :-Parishes:...
.
Geography
Caravia is the third smallest municipality of Asturias. The population is centered mainly in Prado (Prau in AsturianAsturian language
Asturian is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the Spanish Region of Asturias by the Asturian people...
), the municipal capital, Duesos and Duyos. It is 68 km from Oviedo
Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
, the capital of the principality.
There are mountain summits in the southern parts of Caravia, with Fito (631 m) being the highest. In the north there are three main beaches: Beciella, Arenal de Morís and Espasa. The beaches are separated by great cliffs along the coast. The rest of the municipality has little variation in orography
Orography
Orography is the study of the formation and relief of mountains, and can more broadly include hills, and any part of a region's elevated terrain...
. Its main watercourse is the Romeros river.
Together with the municipalities of Colunga
Colunga
Colunga is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It lies on the Cantabrian Sea, and is bordered to the west by Villaviciosa, to the south by Parres and Piloña, and to the east by Caravia.- Politic :-Parishes:...
, Piloña
Piloña
Piloña is a municipality in the province and autonomous community of Asturias, northwestern Spain. Its capital is the town of Infiesto. Piloña is bounded to the north by Villaviciosa and Colunga, to the east by Parres, to the west by Nava and Cabranes, and to the south by Ponga, Caso and Sobrescobio...
, Parres
Parres
Parres is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Caravia and Ribadesella, on the east by Cangas de Onís, on the west by Piloña and Colunga, and on the south by Amieva.-Parishes:...
and Ribadesella
Ribadesella
Ribadesella Ribadesella is a small municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. Known for its location on the Cantabrian Sea, as well as for the outlet of the River Sella, Ribadesella is a town that forms part of the Picos de Europa...
, Caravia is part of the geographic area known as Sierra del Sueve.
Paleolithic
The first humans in Caravia were during the PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
period, during the time when humans began to use stone tools. From this time period, there are ruins known as "Les Vaques" and "La Pongueta", located near Duyos, where Paleolithic humans lived near a small river and rocky escarpment.
Recent Prehistory
There is a large dolmenDolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
-like tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
(or burial mound) near Beciella beach, by the mouth of the Romeros river. Nearby, there is also the Necrópolis de la Tuerba, formed by three tumuluses located in the coastal plain.
Iron Age
The first excavations made in the Picu el Castru, were carried out August 22, 1917, by Aurelio de Llano. He found a prehistoric fortification in his first dig, located two kilometers from the sea at an altitude of 380 m. This fortification had a perimeter of 225 m.From this castro
Castro culture
Castro culture is the archaeological term for naming the Celtic archaeological culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula from the end of the Bronze Age until it was subsumed in local Roman culture...
-style fortification, both the sea and the mountains can be seen, making it an ideal location to oversee Caravia and Colunga. It is accessed by a meandering ramp which leads to the interior containing the foundations of rectangular huts, 4 by 3 m, separated one from another by 90 cm.
According to Aurelio de Llano in his book "The Book of Caravia", the fortification contained tools, domestic utensils, and feminine jewelry. There were fibulae made of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
and iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, pendants and necklaces. One notable bronze fibula was decorated with an embossed pony. Aurelio de Llano determined that the fortification dates back to the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
(2500 BC to 900 BC). All the pieces coming from the excavation are currently in the Archaeological Museum of Asturias
Archaeological Museum of Asturias
The Archaeological Museum of Asturias is housed in the 16th century Benedictine monastery of Saint Vicente in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain...
.
Roman Era
One important steleStele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
exists from the Roman era, known as the Stele of Duesos (La Estela de Duesos). It was discovered on the exterior of the Church of Duesos, carved in a quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
block. The existence of these steles, frequently embedded in Christian churches during their construction, is due to the conversion to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
of places where pagan religions were formerly practiced.
The stele is a fragment without epigraph
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
and it is decorated on all four sides. The decoration is divided in registers, and the head is undecorated. A recurring theme of the carving is curved radii similar to a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
. It is similar to Roman steles, but maintains traditional indigenous features. Among the materials taken from the fortification, there are examples of decorations similar to the stele.
Demography
| |
Politics
| |PSOE Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in... | |PP People's Party (Spain) The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship... | |IU United Left (Spain) The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain... -BA | |Andere | |Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2007 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
External links
- Federación Asturiana de Concejos (Spanish)
- This page is based on a translation of the corresponding page on the Spanish WikipediaSpanish WikipediaThe Spanish Wikipedia is a Spanish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, online encyclopedia. It currently has articles. Started in May 2001, it reached 100,000 articles on March 8, 2006. Currently, it is the 6th largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles, having surpassed Polish...
.