Just outside Elche, calm fields and gentle hills sit over an unexpected secret. La Alcudia conceals its history so thoroughly that its depth becomes visible only when the soil is opened for all to see. Layers of time lie there like folded pages, each preserving traces of earlier worlds. Across eight digging seasons, archaeologists uncovered a Roman bath complex of remarkable scale. Baths were shared throughout the empire, yet few in Spain survive in such size or with such preservation. The discovery revealed not a modest installation but a sophisticated public space shaped for regular use and community life. When excavation began, the extent of the complex remained unknown, but its centerpiece soon emerged: a massive natatio, an open-air swimming pool large enough to evoke scenes of Roman citizens moving through the water beneath open sky. Surrounding rooms traced a full bathing sequence, from warm spaces to cold plunges and steam rooms, all supported by a hypocaust system circulating heated air beneath the floors. With each season, new chambers and pools appeared, exposing a site built for a substantial population and functioning as an essential gathering place for relief, routine, and social connection.

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History is full of unsolved mysteries, but sometimes, new technology leads historians to answers. Here are some historical mysteries that we’ve recently figured out.