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…
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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…
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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…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2016. Up the coast from Valencia about 30 kilometers is the town of Sagunto. From the middle ages until the 19th century, the town was known Morviedro, derived from the Latin muri veteres, a nod to the ample ancient remains here. In the 19th century, however, the name was changed to…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2016 The Spanish town of Llíria lies about 25 kilometers to the northwest of Valencia. This area was probably originally settled by the Edetani tribe in the 6th century BCE as part of a larger area of control. The originally settlement of the Edetani, the town of Edeta, was located on…
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The Roman city of Lucentum, located in an outlying neighborhood of modern Alicante, seems to have begun as a settlement at least as early as the 5th century BCE. The name of that original settlement appears to have been, at some point, Akra Leuka, Greek for “white mountain”, probably in reference to the nearby Monte…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2016. Today the site of the third largest city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia’s origins go back over 2000 years to 138 BCE, where, after a protracted war with Iberian forces led by the Lusitanian commander Viriathus, the consul Decimus Junius Brutus Galaico founded the colony of Valentia Edetanorum…
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Quick Info: Museo Nacional de Arte Romano Calle de José Ramón Mélida, s/n 06800 Mérida Hours: Tue-Sat 09:30-20:00 (9:30-18:30, October through April) Sunday 10:00-15:00 Closed Monday Admission: 3 Euros Continued From Augusta Emerita Part VII As early as the 16th century CE, Roman finds from Augusta Emerita, including statuary and inscriptions, were known to…
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Quick Info: Zona Arqueológica de Morería Paseo Roma s/n 06800 Mérida Hours: Everyday 09:30-14:00, 17:00-19:30 (16:00-18:30 from Oct. to Mar.) Admission: 6 Euros (15 Euros combination ticket) Basilica de Santa Eulalia Avenida Extremadura 13 06800 Mérida Casa del Mitreo/Los Columbarios Avenida Extremadura 13 06800 Mérida Hours (both sites): Everyday 09:00-21:00 (April to September) Everyday 09:00-18:30…
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Quick Info: Address (Circus): Avenida Juan Carlos I s/n 06800 Mérida Hours: Everyday 09:00-21:00 (April to September) Everyday 09:30-18:30 (October to March) Admission: 6 Euros (15 Euros combination ticket) Continued From Augusta Emerita Part V In addition to the amphitheater and theater area, there are a few other public buildings and areas of note able…
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