A EsculqueiraA Xeria milestone
Milestones are mostly cylindrical columns that were placed on the edge of Roman roads to signal distances (a thousand steps or Roman mile, a distance of about 1,481 meters) and indicate the layout of the roads built by them for commercial exploitation or military use.
The majority of the milestones present some confusing and rustic characters, without much attention to the style. They used to be made of granite, with a cubic or square base and measured between 2 and 4 meters in height, with a diameter between 50 and 80 centimetres.
The most important ones have inscriptions engraved in low-relief, depending on the importance of the road or the proximity or distance from Rome.
The milestone da Xeria was part of the existing Roman road between Aquae Flaviae (Chaves) and Asturica-Augusta (Astorga), by Sanabria. The route passed through O Tameirón and continued through A Esculqueira heading towards A Vilavella and A Canda in the direction of Lubián and Puebla de Sanabria.
