Baelo Claudia: Roman ruins in Southern Spain

Spain was once an important part of the Roman Empire. Some of the oldest cities in this area were first settled by the Phoenicians, then later conquered and rebuilt by the Romans. Just over an hour southeast of Rota is a well-preserved Roman city: Baelo Claudia. This site is still being excavated, but most of the major portions of the city have been uncovered and partially restored, including the Basilica and Forum, Theater, temple of Isis, baths, and fish drying buildings. It is the most comprehensive Roman town excavated on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Our family recently enjoyed a pleasant morning exploring the site, and there was plenty to entertain my history-buff husband, as well as our toddler.

Baelo Claudia is located on the coast just southeast of Tarifa, in the small town of Bolonia. We were able to locate the city easily with our GPS, and then there were several signs leading to the historical site. It was about one and a half hours from base. There is free parking onsite, and admission to the site is also free for EU residents. We simply showed our EU drivers' license as identification, and saved the 5 Euro fee adults typically would pay. Be advised that this coast is always windy (the wind surfing capital of the world!) so even on warm days bring a jacket or sweatshirt.

We first entered a small museum, which I was not expecting. It was a pleasant surprise, because there were displays and videos in English and Spanish explaining a lot of background about the site and providing details on how objects are recovered, cleaned, and restored. Even though our children can't appreciate the significance of Roman history, they enjoyed watching some of the videos on stone carving, and getting up close to some of the artifacts. 

I enjoyed seeing the variety of artifacts in the museum (which is basically 2 large rooms on 1 floor) ranging from a tall marble column, a headless goddess statue, several Roman coins, and this picture, which is actual Roman plumbing. Roman engineering amazes me, particularly their ability to control and direct running water in ancient times. So I was again pleasantly surprised when our first view of the ruins upon exiting the museum was...

This, an intact section of the aquaduct, which once stretched about 5 km, and brought fresh water to this coastal city. Apparently there were originally 3 aqueducts. Even though it was on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, Baelo Claudia was laid out exactly the same way as any other Roman town, and had all the amenities you would find in a town the same size in Italy during that time. The entire city was surrounded by a wall, parts of which have been reconstructed to stand about 5 feet tall.

You enter the site through the original West Gate of the city, and walk on some of the original cobblestone streets. In other areas, wide modern gravel avenues make the ruins easy to explore. The visitor path is clearly marked, and there are informational signs in English and Spanish at all the major parts of the town. And if the ruins themselves aren't impressive enough, there is a gorgeous ocean view to enjoy. The ruins are literally right next to the beach. On a clear day, you can actually see the coast of Africa (Morocco) across these waters! In fact, Baelo Claudia was an important town because it was one of the harbors used to launch ships to trade with Africa.

The town was also famous for its tuna salting and a fermented fish paste called garum which was exported throughout the Empire. This picture shows Sophie checking out the fish salting area. Located right next to the harbor, it is where each day's catch would have been salted and preserved. The square holes are salting vats. This area is still famous today for its' tuna population, and apparently tuna was the main diet in Roman times as well. In fact, it is the Romans that invented the process of catching tuna in the almdraba nets, and apparently that is still the same style of netting that is used in the region today. So this was once a bustling harbor, and the 'industrial' portion of the city.

This wall, next to the harbor and the fish salting area, was probably the highest rebuilt wall on the site. The free-standing columns of the Basilica have all been rebuilt, as you can see below, but most of the stone walls were very low, or you were looking at foundations and trying to imagine what buildings, houses, and shops must have stood on top. I liked the doorway and windows that were in this wall, because there weren't any other windows on the site.





The central focus of the site is, of course, the pillars of the Basilica and the open Forum behind them. The Basilica and Forum are located at the center of town, at the intersection of the 2 main streets. This is true for all Roman towns, becuase they were all laid out exactly the same way. The word 'Basilica' does not mean any kind of church. Instead, it was a political center of law and government. The statue in the center is Emperor Trajan. The city of Baelo Claudia got its name from Emperor Claudius, who ruled from 10 BC- 53 AD, and granted the city the distinction of municipium (a title affecting the way local inhabitants became Roman citizens). But Emperor Trajan followed Claudius, from 54- 117 AD, so it is his statue that was in the city at its peak of growth. But Baelo Claudia was destroyed by an earthquake in the 2nd century AD, and abandoned by the 6th century.

The entire Basilica area is easy to visualize, because almost all the columns have been restored. It was a long, open hall, with the staue of the Enperor as the focal point at one end. The streets around the Basilica were the market area (which is mostly rubble now).

This is one of the rooms from the bathhouse. There were 4 major areas: a cold room for bathing, a hot room (sauna), a shallow pool for splashing, and an area for exercise. These are the 'pipes' undeneath the floor of the sauna, which were used to bring in hot water and control the temperature. It was very intricate, and very impressive. Bathing was a big part of Roman culture, and most citizens went to the bath house every day in the afternoon.

The major focal point at the north of the city is the theater, or amphitheater. It was not a Colosseum for sports; rather, a theater with a stage and an orchestra pit for musicians, as well as a curved seating area that was built into the natural slope of the hill. The building is mostly restored, with all the different areas very obvious, and closely resembling a modern theater or music hall. 

The theater was fun, because you were actually allowed to walk through one of the original 8 entrances and stand on a platform looking over the whole structure. The kids are looking across the orchestra pit to the stage area. From this inside view, you could see how the natural acoustics would amplify a spoken or musical performance. Most of the other ruins are understandably blocked off by fences a few feet away, so the kids enjoyed climbing up old steps and getting up close and personal.

This is one of the original 8 entrances to the theater. Most of the rocks on the site were hauled from a nearby mountain, but some of them we recognized as harvested coral. All the rocks were carefully cut and placed with Roman attention to detail. So much to be impressed with and marvel at!

We spent a few hours total at Baelo Claudia, then went to one of the beach restaurants next to the site for a lunch of grilled fish with gorgeous beach views. It was a wonderful day trip, and I highly recommend it! You could spend the afternoon on the beach which is just a few steps from the ruins. We took the scenic route home, through Tarifa, and along the beach where you can look at the cliff with the Trafalgar monument. If you still have time and energy, the old town of Vejer de la Frontera is on top of the cliff, and is somewhat famous for its' town walls dating from Moorish times, and a Cathedral and Castle. Maybe more about that next time! For now, we will keep on enjoying the beaches and history here!