Las Medulas is a photograph by Weston Westmoreland which was uploaded on March 6th, 2019.
Title
Las Medulas
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph
Description
Las Medulas, a ruined mountain, Spain.
Las Médulas was a gold-mining site in Leon (a name derived from Legion). It was the most important gold mine, as well as the largest open-pit gold mine, in the entire Roman Empire.
What you actually see in this photo is the further edge of the crater. The gap between these serrated remains and the place from where the picture was shot is where the mountain actually stood. Almost the entire mountain is gone, only a giant crater remains. The two people walking along the path on the bottom left offer you an idea of the proportions of this work.
The spectacular landscape of Las Médulas resulted from the mining technique the Romans used, known as "Ruina Montium" (wrecking of the mountains). The Romans tunneled the mountains strategically and then injected large quantities of water, the pressure of which eroded burst and finally brought the mountain down. At least seven long aqueducts were built to bring the water needed to erode the mountain first and to wash the extensive alluvial gold deposits afterwards.
The area Hispania Tarraconensis was conquered in 25 BC by the emperor Augustus. Prior to the Roman conquest the indigenous inhabitants obtained gold from alluvial deposits. Large-scale production did not begin until the second half of the 1st century AD.
Las Médulas Cultural Landscape is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
More images from ancient and modern Spain at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/spain
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
March 6th, 2019
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