By James Martin
Europe Travel Expert, about.com
Empuries - A Greco-Roman site in Spain's Catalonia Region
Where
else can you see Greek and Roman coastal trading centers in a single,
easily accessible archaeological site, visit a museum, and then bathe at
a sandy beach on the Mediterranean for a cost of less than five euros?
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Empuries
was first described to me as "one of the most fascinating
archaeological sites" a frequent traveler to Europe had ever seen. So I
went. I wasn't disappointed. Empuries has lots of free parking close to
the ruins, a beach just outside the site, a museum (free with site
admission) and a small cafe.
And there's more: a short walk along
the sea takes you to the medieval village of Sant Marti d'Empuries,
where the earliest settlement dates back to the end of the Bronze Age
(9th century b.c.). Just down the road to the south you'll find
L'Escala, a tourist center with many fine seafood restaurants, an
internet point, and popular beach.
Empuries: A Little History
The earliest settlers at Empuries traded with the Etruscans, Phoenicians and the Greeks during the 7th century b.c.
By the 6th century, Greek traders founded a first
settlement called Palaia Polis and eventually created a new sector of
city called the new town, or Nea Polis--and this is the Greek part of
the site you'll see when you visit Empuries. the colony itself was
called Emporion, which means market in Greek, and it certainly was.
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In
218 b.c. Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio showed up to block land access to
Carthaginian troops on the occasion of the Second Punic war, and thus
begun the Romanization of Spain. In the time of Augustus, the Greek and
Roman cities became one under the Roman name Municipium Eporiae.
As
Girona, Barcelona and Tarragona rose in importance, Empuries fell, and
in the second half of the 3rd century b.c. the Roman city and Neapolis
were abandoned.
The most interesting things at Empuries?
- The water purification system
- The erotic (phallic) drinking vessels in the museum
- The massive Roman Walls
You can get an audio guided visit of Empuries. Ask at the information point in the car park (where you'll buy your tickets).
See our Empuries Picture Gallery for photos of the site.
Where to Stay near Empuries
Although hotels are available in the larger cities near Empuries, like Girona and Figueres, we stayed at the Cal Ratero Apartments
in the town of Maçanet de Cabrenys, where an old house has been
remodeled into 9 small apartments with balconies and small kitchens.
Rental in 2003 was 50 Euros per night. Great value in a town with some
good restaurants and bars.
How to Get to Empuries
Empuries is located to the west of route A7 between Barcelona and Afranca in far northwestern Spain. Here is the mapped route: Barcelona to Empuries Ruins. A small map and visitor information are found on the Ruins of Empuries information page.
Around Epuries
Empuries is in the Region of Catalonia (Catalunya). Other towns worth seeing in this region are: Barcelona and Tarragona.
