Tarragona spain

History of Tarragona

Here's a brief summary of the history of Tarragona.

Tarraco, over 2200 years standing

In 218 B.C. the Romans and the Carthaginians were at war to dominate the Iberian Peninsula.

In the north of Spain, roman troops moved to the south of what is now Catalonia, defeated the Carthaginians and took the area where today is Tarragona.

The Roman general Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio was looking for a suitable area to establish a military settlement and decided to build it on a beautiful hill to the sea shore which, besides being an area strategically advantageous for the defense for its altitude and difficult access, offered them a perfect vision several miles around both the sea and land, which gave them a valuable time to prepare their defenses in case of attack.
This strategic advantage made ​​the Roman army decided to establish there its most important base of operations Iberian Peninsula only one year later, in 217 B.C.

Tarragona foundation:

The importance of the military base attached to its mild climate and natural beauty of the area contributed to that 20 years later, in 197 b.c., in that hill then away from the war front thanks to the advancement of the Roman troops for Spain, was founded Tarraco, the capital of hispania citerior, province that covered the entire north-eastern edge of spain.

Growth of the roman Tarraco:

After its foundation the city grew slowly through trade and its importance as the capital of the Roman province.

Many years later, in 27 b.c. the first Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus took up residence in Tarragona to lead wars against the Cantabrian and the Asturian, fact which fostered a great improvement of the city´s infrastructure, as water supply, sewerage, among many other improvements, which made Tarraco the most important Roman city of Spain in terms of infrastructure and the image of Rome in Hispania