The Roman Walls

The defensive wall, the first major construction undertaken by the Romans, was begun not long after they arrived in the area. This initial military encampment was the origin of the future city of Tarraco. We can assume that the first wall was a simple wooden stockade, but the fact that the settlement soon became a bridgehead for the disembarkation of reinforcements from Rome made it necessary to build stronger defences.

The first stone wall was built between 217 and 197 BC. Architecturally-speaking, it consisted of walls built of Cyclopean stone, reinforced by towers at the most vulnerable points. The perimeter walls were six metres high and 4.5 metres thick. The towers were higher.