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a r ch a eological s ite
CARTEIA
Salting Factory
HISTORY
In the 7th century BCE, the Phoenicians established an outpost on Cerro del Prado, a hill roughly 2 km north-west of
Carteia, as part of their influential and civilising trade network.
In the 4th century BCE, their descendants, the Carthaginians
or Punics, founded what we now know as Carteia. They chose
to build their new town on a promontory closer to the mouth of the River Guadarranque, which commanded a splendid
view of the Strait of Gibraltar from the shelter of the inner Bay
of Algeciras.
Cover: Grand staircase of the Augustan building
After defeating Carthage in the Punic Wars (3rd century BCE),
the Romans took over, expanding the town substantially and
filling it with monumental structures. However, those born
there, the offspring of Roman soldiers and native women of
Hispania, were not acknowledged by Rome as citizens. The
town sent a delegation to the mother city requesting a solution to this problem, and in 171 BCE the Senate agreed to
grant Carteia the status of colonia libertinorum, making it the
first Roman colony outside of Italy.
The town became embroiled in the republic’s internal conflicts,
such as the power struggle between Caesar and Pompey in the
late 1st century BCE. The people of Carteia backed Pompey,
who ended up losing the war, and the town and its inhabitants
suffered the consequences.
In the 6th century CE the Visigoths settled here and made additional changes to the town’s structure. Today we know they
used part of it as a necropolis.
Arab troops appeared in the area in the early 8th century and
mustered here to begin the conquest of Al-Andalus. Islamic
texts tell us that they adapted one of the existing religious
buildings in Carteia for use as a mosque.
Later, when the Marinid armies arrived from North Africa in the
13th century, they built a compound near the town of Carteia
and named it Hisn Quartayana, now known as Torre Cartagena.
It remained in Arab hands until the mid-14th century, when it
was seized by the troops of King Alfonso XI of Castile, and the
site continued to play a role in the region’s military control network until the 18th century.
In the late 16th century, the Rocadillo Tower was erected on
the seaward side as part of the coastal defence systems built
by Philip II and his successors. It stands atop the ruins of the old
Roman wall, overlooking the mouth of the River Guadarranque.
During World War II, fear of a British invasion from Gibraltar led
authorities to construct several bunkers at Carteia which, though never used, demonstrate the strategic military importance
of this position even in modern times.
TOUR
Punic Wall [1]
This section includes a gate made of rusticated sandstone ashlars. The casemate wall was built in the manner of Greek fortifications, the prevailing style at the time.
Republican Temple [2]
A large temple was erected over the ruins of religious structures
from Punic times. This is the oldest Roman Republican
monument found at Carteia (2nd century BCE). With a surface
area of 24 x 18 metres, the temple stood on a 1.9-metre-high
podium. The entrance was reached by climbing a staircase at
the front, flanked by two side wings completing the facade.
Grand staircase of the Augustan building
Visigothic necropolis over the temple ruins
It may have been a hexastyle temple (having six frontal columns)
of the type known as peripteros sine posticum, i.e. surrounded
by columns on all except the back side. On the podium stood
the single central hall or cella where the statue of the titular
deity would have been displayed, although the god’s identity
remains a mystery.
Buildings [3]
Beside the temple was a large porticoed residential structure.
The main section was a domus or Roman house of the type
reserved for wealthy citizens. Its layout is typical: a corridor or
fauces leads to an atrium or central courtyard with rooms on
both sides. An insula or apartment block for housing the less
affluent adjoined the domus and shared its facade.
This area also contained a large building from Augustan times
with a monumental staircase. The strength and fine masonry of
General view of the baths
Roman high street (decumanus)
its thick walls suggest the existence of an upper storey which
would have opened onto the rooftop terrace.
To the right of the staircase, whose middle flight once held a
massive double door, there were various rooms arranged like
typical Roman shops or tabernae that opened onto a street coming from the lower part of town.
Visigothic Necropolis [4]
The Roman temple is surrounded by graves from the Visigothic
period, when this site was still used as a holy place.
Baths [5]
This substantial structure was probably in use between the 1st
and 4th centuries CE. It had all the standard rooms found in
Roman thermae: the caldarium or hot bath; the tepidarium or
Rocadillo Tower
warm bath; the frigidarium or cold bath; and the apodyterium
or dressing room. It also had a palaestra or exercise gymnasium, complete with a natatio (outdoor swimming pool) and a
latrine. This was therefore a large complex offering more than
just the baths.
In the 6th and 7th centuries the area was used as a necropolis.
In the same place, vestiges of another building with an apsidal
plan suggest the existence of a late Roman basilica.
Roman House [6]
Here we can observe the building known as the “Rocadillo
Domus”, with a layout and constructive features similar to the
residence beside the temple. This house at the intersection of
two slab-paved roads stood slightly above street level, with two
steps leading up to the entrance. It was a typical domus, with
numerous rooms, an atrium with a water tank and a mosaicpaved peristyle. Sections of the old Roman street nearby have
also survived.
Rocadillo Tower [7]
Built on a square plan abutting the Roman defensive wall, this
watchtower was designed by the engineer Livadote in the late
16th century and stands 12 metres high. The lower section
has a solid core, and above it was the guard room, reached by
means of a rope ladder. This vaulted chamber has a fireplace
with a vertical chimney and a narrow window through which
one can see the mouth of the River Guadarranque.
Salting Factory [8]
The fishing industry was very important in Roman times. The
coastal areas near the Strait of Gibraltar had a prosperous and
powerful economy based on the bounty of the sea, as evidenced
by the proliferation of salting factories after the 1st century BCE.
Salting vats were common elements in all such factories. Once
cleaned and gutted, the fish were laid in these vats and packed
between layers of salt. Salting factories also manufactured
garum sauce, a highly prized and expensive delicacy. Used as
a condiment, garum was made from macerated fish intestines
mixed with aromatic herbs. Once prepared, the salted fish and
other products were packed in amphorae to be shipped and sold.
Bunker
Nearby we can also see one of the World War II bunkers. This
one was recently turned into a miniature museum, the first of
its kind in Andalusia.
Theatre [9]
The partially excavated Roman theatre has preserved part of
the stage structure and seating area, which rests on the sloping
terrain except in the summa cavea or upper stands.
The theatre was recently opened to the public, greatly
enhancing its heritage value. Its structure is quite similar to
that of the Roman theatre in Mérida: the cavea has a diameter
of 78 metres, and the seating area occupies 2,500 m2. With
an estimated capacity for 5,200 people, this is the largest
completely visible cavea in Andalusia.
General view of the Roman theatre
LOCATION AND CONTACT DETAILS
Avenida del Puerto, S/N 11369 San Roque (Cádiz)
+34 956 908 030 / +34 600 143 014
Fax: +34 956 908 035
[email protected]
Free admission
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1. Punic wall
2. Temple
3. Buildings
4. Visigothic necropolis
5. Baths
6. Roman house
7. Rocadillo Tower
8. Salting factory and bunker
9. Theatre
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ENTRANCE
Reception
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