Empúries

Empúries , in Spanish Ampurias , is a ancient Port gréco-Roman, located on the commune of Escala, close to Gérone, in the province of Catalogne, Spain.

Empúries comes from the Latin Emporiæ , itself of the Greek Eμποριον, Emporion , meaning “gone”, “warehouse”. Founded towards -580 by colonists Phocée NS, the city was then occupied by the Romains, and almost abandoned with the Early middle ages, after having given its name to the Comté of Empúries.

History and description of the site

The archeological site geographically presents actually three radically different and separate units, corresponding to three stages distinct from occupation:

Paléopolis, city of the founders ()
Néapolis, new Greek city ()
the Roman city, located in height ()

The ancient Port, located between the two Greek cities, completely envasé, presents a ancient Môle length approximately a 60 m. ()

The Greek period

Towards -600, Phocéens, coming from the Greek city of Phocée, in Ionie (minor Asia), found the towns of Massalia (Marseilles) and Alalia (Aléria, Corsica).

Between -585 and -575, these colonists leave these new cities to found other counters, like Emporion (Ampurias).

Paléopolis

These founders phocéens choose to be established on an island close to the coast, dimensions modest and easy to defend, dominating a suitable handle in port, which is far from being a case isolated in the Mediterranean: Syracuse, Tarente and many other cities presents this geographical character at the time of their foundation.

This Paléopolis - name given by the archeologists - old small island now attached to the continent by the silting of the ancient Port, remains badly known, because occupied entirely by the village of Sant Martí d' Empúries. Very few excavations could be undertaken in this inhabited place and very tightened. They revealed some Roman and medieval vestiges, as well as a short section of Greek enclosure, probably of - IVe century.

Néapolis

In -546, the inhabitants of Phocée are driven out of their city Ionie destroyed by the conquerors Perses of Cyrus Large the. Forced to fold up itself towards their colony S, they flow, among those, towards Emporion : the small island founder is then over-populated, and the new inhabitants will be established on the other side of the port, in houses with Greek, made small parts built according to the place available: that ends up forming lanes, a new city (that the archeologists name the “ Néapolis ”), and creates the need to be protected by a Enceinte worthy of this name.

The modern visitor between thus in the site by a door of this new Greek enclosure, very frightening aspect, with its turns and walls into large apparatus. Then he traverses the Dédale lanes, meeting a simple and accessible habitat: the entry of the houses preserves mosaic S small Galet S, sometimes with still readable words of welcome, like this “HΔY KOITOΣ” (èdu koïtos) , which means in Greek “pleasant rest”.

The Roman period

Emporion, from its relationship and its relations with Massalia, was with 3rd and second century BC a allied city with the Romans. Scipion the African, unloading in Spain in -218, approaches naturally in Emporion. It is as starting from Emporion as Caton Old the, in -195, pacifies the natives of all the area.

Then the city ends up losing its autonomy, and the installation of the veterans of Pompée, in -45, makes of it the very Roman Emporiæ .

The Roman city

The Roman city is quite different from the first two Greek establishments, which however continue to live. One imagines well the craftsmen and the small people of the port being activated in the low lanes under the glance of the rich person Roman traders established in height in their vast and sumptuous villas.

This new Roman city is established on the broad plate which dominates the port and the Greek establishment. Hardly a fifth of the Roman unit was excavated: one sees vast parts there, with luxurious mosaic S of ground with often polychrome artistic decorations. The city is with its apogee at the 1st and 2nd centuries.

One still discovers a forum, with eight small temples and a Macellum (gone covered). The broad rectilinear and orthogonal streets (Cardo, Decumanus) , are traced perfectly.

The Roman enclosure

The Roman enclosure has what to surprise the visitor, initially by his excellent state of conservation - on all the southern part, one follows it of all his height over a length of more than 300 m -, but especially by the originality of its structure: three sat in large apparatus worthy of the most powerful Greek walls, surmounted of a very original entirely hollow and covered concrete structure, that one can traverse internally. (date and use to be specified)

The amphitheater

The Amphitheater, external with the wall (), is very modest, but quite readable on the ground: one sees well lengthened the enough form of the Arène, as well as the radiant walls of the foundations of the Cavea .

The Middle Ages at our days

The city is destroyed at the end of the 3rd century by an invasion come from north, at the origin of the visible basilica paléochrétienne nowadays, seat of a ic episcopate Visigoth. This establishment is in its turn ransacked by an invasion Normand E.

The Musulman S arrive into 718 and find inhabitants in the old small island founder which still supports the current village. They thus occupy it a time, then they were the Francs, and Charlemagne, which establishes a solid garrison there. It is thus, tells us Eginhard (volume I) that the count Ermengol put the Moslems in rout, capturing eight ships and pushing back the others towards Majorque.

The place having become little by little unhealthy, the populations of the neighborhoods gathered to found, to 15 km towards north, the episcopal city of Castelló d' Empúries, where one saw building a splendid cathedral, initially Romance E, then Gothic.

Monks, established on the ancient site, founded the convent of Holy Marie de Grâce, above Néapolis, where is currently the monographic museum.

Visit museum

The archaeological excavations started at the end of the 19th century. They continue still nowadays: the museum presents the furniture discovered in the three parts of the city, as well as exposures sets of themes.

In the center of the principal room is exposed large the Cratère with red figures of fourth century BC showing a ménade continued by a Satyre, in the style of the painter of Capoue.

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