Gerunda
In: Hispania Antigua. Arqueológica: 14, 2022
DOI: 10.48255/9788891327734.06
The Roman city of Gerunda is located on the north-eastern section of the Iberian Peninsula, and it sits directly onto its main entryway, which is the reason why its strategic location will determine its historical course, not only in antiquity. The origins of the city must be traced outside of it, some 5 kilometres north of the current city centre, on the hill of Sant Julià de Ramis, where we find the Iberian oppidum of *Kerunta. During the years 80-70 AD, the oppidum will be completely vacated and, at the same time, a new city of Roman foundation will rise, Gerunda, a fact attributable to the territorial reorganization following the Sertorian War.
However, there are very little remains left of the Roman city, excepting its Roman walls, although its persistence and reforms, especially during Carolingian times and the Middle Ages, have masked them in many sections. Archaeology has been able to establish two main construction periods: The first one pertains to the foundational walled enclosure, dated on the decade around 70 AD and characterized by a polygonal construction using big blocks of local limestone, analogous with the walls of Emporion or Tarraco; and the second one dates from the Tetrarchy, and is characterized by the use of opus quadratum blocks of sandstone.
These walls define a triangular enclosure, with a very steep unevenness and the establishing of three great terraces, a fact that did not prevent an orthogonal planning of the city based on a modulation of city blocks measuring 71 x 31 feet from east to west and separated by streets 9 feet wide. Nevertheless, we should stress that such a subdivision is entirely theoretical and a simple starting point for urban planning, for its development on a terraced ground forced a flexible adaptation suited to the terrain.
As a matter of fact, the only urban element of importance from the Roman city known to us, is the disposition of the forum, organized on two terraces, a lower one next to the North gate of the city, and an upper one, east of the former, where the main temple of the city would be located. A grand set of stairs, of which there are still some remains, would join both terraces.
Even though we know so very little about the inside of the city, there is a great deal of information about its environs. Lately, archaeological activity has focused on studying the suburbium of the city, where a ring of villae was created, just above the flood hazard areas. All of them share a similar typology, with an industrial and an urban sector, and in many instances they are decorated with mosaics and include public baths.
The instauration of the Tetrarchy revitalized the area. As Via Augusta was the main point of entry into Hispania, the whole stretch, from the border with Gaul to the city of Gerunda was fortified following the defence-in-depth system, and to that fact we should ascribe the reinforcement of the citys defences.
In parallel to such construction efforts, a great surge in activity can be found in the suburbial villae, with an increase in its industrial production, especially wine and olive oil, as is the case of the Pla de l'Horta villa, or the discovery of a palatial villa, Bell Lloc del Pla, whose only remains are the pavement of a grand mosaic corridor. Likewise, the presence of an important group of Christian-themed sarcophagi imported from Rome is a good indicator of the vitality in late antiquity of the city of Gerunda.