From the 5th to the 8th century – Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Work at the ancient Roman city of Salionca has identified its abandonment and destruction at the end of the 5th century AD. This fact seems to be associated with the barbarian invasions and has been represented in the archaeological record by the appearance of a powerful fire and the concealment of the significant deposit of tools in the attached image.
Now, what did the disappearance of the nerve center of the political, social and economic power of the territory mean for the salt exploitation? Salt continued to be a product of vital importance in the economy, so that in the new reorganization of the territory the control of the factory had to have a very important weight.
The loss of the centralized power exercised from the Roman Salionca, as well as the difficulties that the new powers had to control the territory early and effectively, favored the direct presence in Salinas of both the individuals who worked in it and the local and regional aristocracies that came to control the exploitation. Thus, from this moment on, a complex salt community developed in the valley that continued to elaborate and commercialize the salt obtained on the evaporation platforms.
The individuals who settled in Añana did not concentrate in a single enclave, but built their domestic units and warehouses in the surroundings of the salt factory. This resulted in a dispersed habitat that began in the lower part of the valley slopes – between the evaporation platforms themselves – and went up in height depending on the characteristics of the terrain and the layout of the communication routes.