Luminescence dating confirms Roman-era gold mines in the Eastern Pyrenees

A study by the UAB and the University of A Coruña has succeeded in demonstrating the existence of Roman-era alluvial gold mines in the Eastern Pyrenees. The discovery was made possible by dating two samples from the infill levels of the hydraulic structures at the Guilleteres d'All mines using new luminescence techniques (OSL), yielding a chronology of around the 3rd–4th centuries CE. This calculation fully confirms the Roman origin of the structure and allows confirming for the first time the exploitation of Pyrenean gold by the Romans in this region. The work is published in the journal Land.