Continued From Casta Legionis, Hispania Tarraconensis Part I Heading back out to the street in front of the walls, Calle Ruiz de Salazar runs for about 150 meters north before ending in Plaza San Isidoro outlet. Just beyond that is an excavated area of one of the towers of the 3rd-4th century walls of Castra…
Read More
Most Recent Visit: July 2022 Located today among the city of León, in the northwestern Spanish region of Castile and León, are the remains of the Roman military fort of Castra Legionis, sometimes also referred to as just Legio. The modern city of León derives its name from Castra Legionis, more specifically the second half…
Read More
Continued From Augusta Bilbilis Part I The forum of Augusta Bilbilis was inaugurated in 27 CE. It underwent renovations in the Flavian and Antonine periods. Like the theater, the forum too seems to have seen a decline in use during the 3rd century CE. The open plaza of the forum is supported on an artificial…
Read More
Most Recent Visit: July 2022 Perched on a hill overlooking the plain of the Salo (the modern Jalón River) an important tributary of the Iber (the modern Ebro) near the junction with the Birbilis (Jiloca River), about 100 meters above the plain, sits the remains of Augusta Bilbilis. Prior to the arrival of the Romans,…
Read More
Spain has always held a bit of a special place in my consciousness. It was the first country that I visited on my first trip to Europe. It was that trip, and in part my experiences in Spain, that helped push me towards Archaeology at time when I was still pursuing a degree in another…
Read More
Most Recent Visit: June 2016 The site of modern day Barcelona seems to have been occupied well before the arrival of the Romans. According to legend, a city was founded on the location by Hercules. Another legend places the name Barcino as being derived from the Carthaginian Barcid family and was founded by Hamilcar Barca….
Read More
Continued From Tarraco Part II There are a number of interesting Roman sites in the area around Tarraco, most of them accessible with public transportation from Tarragona. The one exception to this is the Arc de Berà, an arch constructed in 13 BCE at the behest of Lucius Licinius Sura and dedicated to Augustus. This…
Read More
Continued From Tarraco Part I (See Map Here) Located just next to the circus, at Plaça del Rei 5, is the impressive Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona (MNAT). The museum is open in the summer (June 1st to September 30th) on Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 to 20:30, and from 10:00 to 14:00 on Sundays…
Read More
Most Recent Visit: June 2016 At the eventual site of the Roman colony of Tarraco was an Iberian settlement, probably called Cissa and belonging to the Cessetani tribe. Other names associated with the city are Cissis, Kesse, and Kosse. Another theory proposed is that it was a Phoenician colony with the name of Tarchon. The…
Read More
See Part I of Saguntum for a map of site locations. Not far from the museum is the so-called ‘Temple of Diana’, which is in actuality not associated with any temple to Diana or any other deity, but instead seems to be a part of the second century BCE Ibero-Roman fortification walls of Saguntum constructed…
Read More