Costa Dorada Tourism Guide - Roman Tarragona

Roman Tarragona, Roman Influence on Tarragona & Spain Roman History

During the first and second centuries BC Tarragona, the centre of the Roman Hispania Citerior empire, was crammed with monuments, with enlarged Roman forum, the Thermae/Public Roman Baths and the spectacular amphitheatre. Parts of the amphitheatre among other Roman sites in Tarragona survive, and are open to the public. Considerable efforts are being made to uncover and preserve further Roman architecture in the city, especially the main Roman Circus Praetorium in recognition of their importance within the history of Roman influence on Spain, with Tarraco/Tarragona at the very centre.

Tarragona stands out as a European location particularly rich in preserved Roman architecture. During the 2nd century BC the Romans built walls around Tarraco. Today in Tarragona 1100 metres of the city's Roman walls survive, out of what was 3500 metres originally. The surviving stretch of Roman Wall along Passeig Arqueologic is particularly fascinating, with its six posterns/small entrances alongside the larger gate for bigger chariot entrance. View also the Minerva Tower which houses the oldest Roman sculpture with inscription on the Iberian Peninsula.

Tarragona Roman Temple, Roman Forum & Circus, Roman Amphitheatre & Archaeological Museum

Tarragona's Roman Acropolis temple, built towards the end of the 1st century BC with Provincial forum and Roman Circus was at its peak one of the largest of such Roman complex's in the Roman empire. Arranged around two terraced squares, the provincial forum (located on Placa del Rei) was an administrative centre and hub for Roman political and economic control, with large hall inner sanctuary of the temple. (see photography of the Provincial Forum via the Tarragona History webguide right, and more details on all of Tarragona's Roman sites).

Tarragona's Roman Circus can be reached via a tunnel from the Praetorium (buy a joint ticket). Excavation work here is on-going - and fascinating as its beginning to reveal the Circus terraces where crowds would sit. Here Roman chariot racing and other big crowd events would have been held. Tarragona's Roman circus dates from Domitian's reigh in the 1st century AD. Superbly preserved, Tarraco's Roman circus stretches 324 metres in length and almost 115 metres in width.

Moving down towards the sea (although best viewed from the top of the Praetorium) is Tarragona's Roman Amphitheatre. Again its wonderfully intact and would have been a centre for Roman theatre and circus. Its location on the seashore is deliberate - outside the city walls for ease of access, plus unloading of animals from the water.

Move outside of Tarragona city centre along the N240 Lleida road for around 4km to view Tarragona's spectacular Roman Aqueduct (access is also well signposted off the A7 main motorway driving towards Valencia). It's thought there were originally three Roman aqueducts around Tarragona, but only this one survives. Almost totally intact the Les Ferres Bridge and Francoli Aqueduct brought much needed water into the city from Puigdelfi to Tarraco. This Roman Aqueduct stretches up 27 metres and 217 metres in length, and dates from the 1st century AD.

Museu Nacional Arqueologic de Tarragona/Archaelogical Museum

A visit to Tarragona's Archaeological Museum (alongside a tour of the adjacent Praetorium and Roman Circus) is highly recommended to get to grips with Tarragona's Roman roots and history. Most of the collections displayed inside are Roman, and this museum really does form the centre for the history of Roman life, architecture, art, food, circus, theatre and more once prevalent on the Iberian peninsula. Most Roman finds along the Spanish coast and peninsula have ended up here in this definitive Spanish Roman Archaeological Museum.

The museum is huge, spread across 10 rooms and the hall (note the mosaic of fish discovered in a Roman villa at La Pineda in the hall area). Roman themes explored in these rooms include Roman mosaics, Roman architecture, Roman temples, circus and theatre and Roman Food, sculpture and coinage. Every aspect of Roman life and culture, with examples via Roman artefacts found on the Iberian Peninsula, is dug into here at this superb archaeological museum.

For extensive details of the collections held in Tarragona's Archaeological Museum see its webguide right.

Tarragona Archaeological Museum, Av.de Ramon y Cajal, 76-78 - 43005 Tarragona Spain. Tel. 977 25 15 15. (see webguide right for opening times and details on the collection).