empúries

Excavations reveal the cliff where the city was located and the rocky spur that protected the first port 

The archaeological site of Empúries, on the Costa Brava, continues to provide new discoveries.After three weeks of excavations,  a ceramic-vase containing 200 silver denarius dating from the 1st century B.C was found. It is the largest treasure that has ever appeared on the Roman site. Archaeologists believe that the treasure would have been hidden by its owner in one of the rooms of the houses which are also being excavated and that he would have lost it forever due to a fire which hit the property. The discovery is in very good conditions and the experts will no analyse all the pieces to find out its origins. Besides this treasure, 24 amphorae of wine have been discovered in the cellar ??the house, a slab of bronze -'simpulum'- to extract wine and two bracelets. 

A site known as the home of the best ancient Greek ruins outside of Greece is to be upgraded to improve access for visitors. The ruins were originally built in 575BC and work to develop the site has been ongoing for more than 20 years. The 2,500-year-old Empúries site on the Costa Brava will now host parking and leisure facilities after a deal was struck between the Catalan Ministry of Culture and L’Escala’s Town Hall. Cars will now be removed from the site and facilitated at a new 532 space carpark with more efficient traffic management. The new agreement also allows for the construction of a new recreational area and a drop-off point for buses and coaches. 

The site of Empúries’ ruins will this summer include a new activity to complement your visit to the Greco-Roman site: the Emporiae Road to Rome Festival. The Road to Rome, organised by the Drakonia company from Figueres, will run from the 25 to 27 July 2014. The fast-paced and dynamic show will feature over 30 artists, ranging from riders, charioteers, dancers and legionaries, and 14 horses. Highlights of the festival will include a chariot race, something that has not been held in Spain for over 40 years. A circular stand has been installed right next to the Forum, with capacity for 2,500 people. Tickets to the festival, which will be held in the afternoons, will include a visit around the ruins of the site.

The eruption of the volcano Vesuvius destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, amongst others. However, the studies of the remnants have allowed historians to reconstruct the lives of these cities in an exhibition now hosted in l’Escala (Catalonia). The exhibition comes from Italy and uses the latest technologies (scenographic reconstructions, multisensorial effects, virtual interfaces, holograms, 3D technology, interactive systems and a unique 3D film with tridimensional sound and special effects) to enable visitors to walk and live in Pompeii, Herculaneum, Baiae, Stabiae and Capri. For example, they can visit the Nymphaeum of Baia which is seven metres below ground. The exposition will be open until 9th September.

The cork corresponds to a jar from a sunken ship at Port de la Selva, on Catalonia’s Costa Brava. The Catalan Center for Underwater Archaeology (CASC) and the Catalan Cork Institute (ICSURO) have carried out a research project that has compared the composition of the old cork with a current one. The cellular structure of the old cork remains, despite erosion by water over 2000 years.

The revamped 10,000 square metre site allows visitors to understand what it was really like in Ancient Times. Empúries is one of the largest archaeological sites in Catalonia, with well-preserved ruins from Greek and Roman towns.