TARRACO

Tàrraco, the Roman Tarragona: Historical summary

1. Historical context:

The Second Punic War lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved the Empire of Rome and Carthage. This conflict is called the "Punic Wars" because Rome's name for Carthaginians was Punici, a reference to their Phoenician ancestry.

In 216 BC Hannibal's army defeated the Romans in Metaume and Cannae. In the meantime, a Roman expedition under Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus went to Hispania, which was loyal to the Carthaginian army, and took control of this country. The final showdown of this Punic War was the Battle of Zama (202 BC) in Africa between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal, the Romans defeated Carthage and imposed hard peace conditions. Carthage became a Roman client-state.

2. Founding of Tàrraco:

Tàrraco arises from the arrival of the Roman armies in the Iberian Peninsula in 218 BC, as part of the military confrontation between the Romans and Carthaginians, called Second Punic War. This expeditionary Roman landed in the Greek city of Empòrion and moved quickly southward in order to control the lands north of the Ebre river. Roman troops were commanded by Gnaeus Scipio. His brother Publius Cornelius joined him a year later. After beating the Carthaginians, Gnaeus left a small garrison in Tàrraco which shortly became the main military base in Hispania and the Roman city of Tàrraco. The Sciopion brothers were the first to build a Roman city in Hispania so Tàrraco is called opus Scipionum which means the city of the Sciopions

3. Important facts:

The Punic War was over and the Roman city of Tàrraco grew quickly. During the next century, the city had a castrum for soldiers and another area where the citizens could develop trade.

3.1. Iulius Caesar visits Tàrraco:

On the occasion of a civil war (49-48 BC), Caesar spent a few years Hispania and granted the status of colony to the city of Tàrraco (45BC).

3.2. The Emperor Augustus visits Tàrraco (27/25 BC)

In the year 27 BC, Emperor Augustus went to Hispania to command the campaigns in Cantabria. However, due to his poor health he stayed in Tàrraco. The presence of Augustus led to the reorganization of the provinces and Tàrraco became the capital of Hispania Citerior, also known as Hispania Tarraconensis.

After the death of Augustus in the year 14 AD, the emperor was officially deified and in 15 AD a temple was erected in his honour near the Colonial Forum of Tàrraco.

4. Tàrraco after the Roman Empire

After the fall of Rome, 476 AD, the Visigoths controlled Hispania. Tàrraco remained a major city during the Hispanic Visigoth monarchy. With the conquest of the city by Islamic armies around the year 713, the city entered a long dark period until the twelfth century when some Catalan Counts contributed to the restoration of the city. Tarragona was unable to regain its importance and has remained the second most important city after Barcelona since then.

Documents for the outing:

Presentation -60 minutes- about Tarraco: (where, what and when)


Document for the visit in situ