Archaeological Ensemble
The archaeological ensemble of Tarraco is one of the largest archaeological sites of Hispania Roman Hispania preserved in Spain today. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The city of Tarraco is the oldest Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula, having become the capital of the province of Hispania Citerior in the 1st century BC.
There are still many important Roman ruins in Tarragona. Part of the foundations of the large Cyclopean walls near the Headquarters of Pilate are believed to be of pre-Roman origins. The building mentioned, a prison in the 19th century, is said to be the palace of Augustus.
Tarraco, like many ancient cities, has remained inhabited, and has been slowly dismantled by its own citizens for building materials. In spite of this, although the amphitheater, near the seashore, was for long used as a quarry, large parts of its structure have survived. It was built above the circus, 45.72 meters long, although some sections of it may continue tracing.
Throughout the city are inscriptions in Latin and even in Phoenician on the stones of the houses.
Two ancient monuments, a small distance from the city, have aged well. The first is a magnificent aqueduct, which crosses a valley 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the gates. It is 21 m (69 ft) long, and its lower arches, of which there are two rows, are almost 3 m (9.8 ft) tall. The other monument, to the northwest of the city, and also about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from it, is a Roman tomb, which is usually called Torre dels Escipions, although there is no authority that states that the Scipio brothers were buried there.
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