Archaeological findings at the Isla del Fraile in Águilas “could help re-write the history of the Mediterranean”!

It is now confirmed that human activity continued on the small island well into the 6^th century

The 2025 archaeological dig at the Isla del Fraile, the small island just off the coast of Águilas in the south-west of Murcia, has resulted in the collection of new data which could help the site to “re-write the history of the Mediterranean”, in the words of the directors of the excavations, Alejandro Quevedo (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and Juan de Dios Hernández García (Museo Arqueológico de Águilas).

Among the most important findings this year are items which confirm a phase of activity on the island during the Byzantine Era. Previously it was thought that human activity here ceased abruptly in the second half of the 5^th century AD, the reasons for which are unknown, but new discoveries (of coins and ceramics) show that people were definitely active on Isla del Fraile in the 6^th century, under the rule of the Roman Emperor Justinian I.

Similarly, the presence of a Late Roman oven or kiln shows that ceramics were actually produced here, rather than just being used. There are also numerous ceramic items from the areas of Tunisia, Italy and western Spain, showing the dynamism of connections between the Isla del Fraile and other parts of the Mediterranean.

This year also saw the unearthing of more graves at the Islamic “maqbara” (burial ground), which dates from the 12^th and 13^th centuries.

For more local events, news and visiting information, contact the tourist office of Águilas or go to the home page of Águilas Today.