History

Archaeologists have made a fascinating discovery in central Spain: a rare Roman rock-cut sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Minerva. Found within an ancient quarry near Campos del Paraíso in the Cuenca province, the late second-century AD shrine offers fresh insights into the intersection of religious devotion and industrial activity in Roman Hispania. The find demonstrates that sacred spaces extended beyond major urban centers, taking root in the very landscapes where communities extracted the natural resources that fueled the Roman economy. The sanctuary, carved directly into a sandstone quarry face, was commissioned by a man named Plotius Vigor. Researchers María José Bernárdez Gómez and Juan Carlos Guisado di Monti from the Don Felipe de Borbón y Grecia Mining History Museum detailed