Sevilla information
Numerous and varied cultures have been present in Seville’s
history. The city’s cultural, monumental and artistic legacy
gained over the centuries can be admired in it’s streets
and museums. Seville’s dark origins have provided legends
such as the one that attributes Hercules as it’s founder.
In order to appreciate the ancient history of Seville, one must
visit the Museo Arqueológico (Archaeological Museum), a
spectacular site in itself; once a Pavilion of the 1929 Exhibition.
Here one can observe the remains of cultures that traveled from
across the Mediterranean, bringing with them their distant gods.
The Tesoro del Carambolo is a clear example of oriental influences
assimilated by the ancient peoples of Seville.
Neighboring Seville (Alcalá del Río) was the scene
of the final battle between Romans and Carthinigans (206 A.C..
It was also the location of the first Roman colony in the region,
Itálica. Known as the city of Julia Romula Hispalis, it
was named after its founder, Julius Caeser (45 A.C.). He converted
Sevillians into Roman citizens with full rights. In the 17th C
Rodrigo Caro confirmed, “Although there were once great
and suntuous temples and amphitheatres... everything has disappeared”.
This is just yet another reason to visit the Museo Arqueológico,
where the Roman period is magnficently represented with findings
from Itálica.