Merida - A Roman City Revisited
About 200 kilometres north of Seville on the Ruta de la Plata is the Extremaduran town of Merida, one of the most important Roman cities in the Iberian Peninsula. In those days it was known as Augusta Emerita.
The town was founded in 25 BC and was intended to be the capital of the newly created province of Lusitania as well as home for retired legionnaires who had fought in the Cantabrian war. Strategically Augusta Emerita occupied a place on the Rio Guadiana that could be bridged although the Romans had to build a monumental bridge with 60 arches and over 800 metres long in order to do so. It is also the junction of the main roads to Lisbon (Olisipo), Astorga (Asturica), Toledo (Toletum), Cordoba (Corduba) and Seville (Hispalis). At the height of its prosperity, in the 4th Century AD, Augusta Emerita had a population of 35,000. Its theatre is the grandest in Spain and seats 5,500 people and the amphitheatre alongside held 14,000 spectators. Not surprisingly these three attractions are the most popular and on most visitor’s ‘must do’ list. They were looked at in an article in August 2005 and can now be seen at www.andalucia-life.com/places.
This article looks at some of the other sites in Merida that can be visited if you are able to spend some time there. The Junta de Extremadura have realised that seeing everything in one visit is impossible so allow you to buy one ticket that is valid for life and allows entrance into the main eight historical sites, all for the grand sum of 10 Euros (August 2007). If you walk between these sites it is impossible not to stumble across many other historical remains. It is an accident of history that Merida managed to preserve some 2000 years of its past so that we can appreciate it today.
A favourite form of entertainment during Roman times took place at the Hippodrome or circus. The one at Merida is one of only three known in Spain, the other two are at Toledo and Tarragona. Built in an oval shape, over 400 metres long and 150 metres wide, the Merida circus could seat 30,000 people, almost the entire population. They were treated to chariot races, seven laps with no rules other than the winner was the first across the finishing line. Champions were venerated, there were no prizes for coming second and accidents were common. The chariots were as light as possible and pulled by two or four horses. They entered the ring at the start of the race via starting gates situated in a line at one end of the circus, very similar to the start of a modern horse race today, and thundered around the central platform that was called a spina. On occasion the entire circus could be flooded to enable re-enactments of naval battles.
The huge amount of water required to flood the arena would have come from the aqueduct that passes the western end of the circus. This is the Acueducto de San Lazaro and it is impossible to miss it. The arches supporting the water channel march off for well over a kilometre towards the hills north of the city. Notice how at the circus end modern buildings abut the aqueduct. There are not many houses with a finer arch at the end of the drive than the one here at Merida. Recently excavated beneath the aqueduct is the site of a public baths area and a sports area, a Roman desportivos.
Walking back into town you will next arrive at the Casa del Anfiteatro that is a whole site in its own right. The south section of the aqueduct emerges here and there is a water tower with a house alongside. Inside the house you will find some wonderful mosaics.
From there it is a short walk to the south end of town, near the bullring. You will come to a site called Columbarios, which is a Roman cemetery. Two of the vaults have been identified as belonging to the Julius family and the Voconius family. The cemetery would have been situated outside the city walls as was customary at the time. The epigraphs and portraits have survived. Leaving the cemetery you will arrive at the Casa del Mitro. This was a large villa also situated outside the city walls. Some wall decorations and mosaics have survived along with the foundations, an extensive bath house and a huge underground water cistern.
To really take away an idea of what life was like around the 1st century AD then a visit to Moreria is essential. This is a 12,000 square metre site behind the city wall alongside the river north of the Roman bridge. Originally it was an urban area, the houses, large and small are there to see, with a section of the east west main road through the town. It is easy to imagine this bustling street with covered arcades on each side housing shops and taverns. Four minor roads lead off and penetrate the city walls to give access to the river. This site is particularly important for revealing a continuous history of occupation from Roman, through Visigoth to Moors and then Christians, each leaving their layer for us to find.