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Augusta Emerita

1st-century BC establishments in Spain1st century BC in Hispania20s BC establishments in the Roman Empire25 BC establishmentsArchaeological sites in Extremadura
Coloniae (Roman)Establishments in Spain in the Roman eraHistory of ExtremaduraLusitaniaMérida, SpainRoman towns and cities in SpainTourist attractions in ExtremaduraWorld Heritage Sites in Spain
Teatro de Mérida, España, 2017 18
Teatro de Mérida, España, 2017 18

Augusta Emerita, also called Emerita Augusta, was a Roman colonia founded in 25 BC in present day Mérida, Spain. The city was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus to resettle Emeriti soldiers from the veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars, these being Legio V Alaudae, Legio X Gemina, and possibly Legio XX Valeria Victrix. The city, one of the largest in Hispania, was the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania, controlling an area of over 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi). It had three aqueducts and two fora. The city was situated at the junction of several important routes. It sat near a crossing of the Guadiana river. Roman roads connected the city west to Felicitas Julia Olisippo (Lisbon), south to Hispalis (Seville), northwest to the gold mining area, and to Corduba (Córdoba) and Toletum (Toledo).Today the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Augusta Emerita (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Augusta Emerita
Calle Poeta Deciano, Merida San Antonio

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.916666666667 ° E -6.3333333333333 °
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Calle Poeta Deciano

Calle Poeta Deciano
06800 Merida, San Antonio
Extremadura, Spain
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Teatro de Mérida, España, 2017 18
Teatro de Mérida, España, 2017 18
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Alcazaba of Mérida
Alcazaba of Mérida

The Alcazaba of Mérida is a ninth-century Muslim fortification in Mérida, Spain. Like other historical edifices in the city, it is part of the UNESCO Heritage List.Located near the Roman bridge over the Guadiana river, the Puente Romano, it was built by emir Abd ar-Rahman II of Córdoba in 835 to command the city, which had rebelled in 805. It was the first Muslim alcazaba (a type of fortification in the Iberian peninsula), and includes a big squared line of walls, every side measuring 130 metres in length, 10 m of height and 2.7 m thickness, built re-using Roman walls and Roman-Visigothic edifices in granite. The walls include 25 towers with quadrangular base, which also served as counterforts. Inside is an aljibe, a rainwater tank including a cistern to collect and filter water from the river.The Alcazaba is accessed from the Puente Romano through a small enclosure, traditionally known Alcarazejo. This was used to check the traffic of pedestrians and goods to the city. Annexed is the military area, whose gate is flanked by two towers; over the horseshoe-shaped arc is an inscription celebrating Abd ar-Rahman's patronage of the work.Also annexed to the Alcazaba was a convent of the Order of Santiago, currently home to the council of the Extremadura community. The fortress has yielded other excavated areas containing remnants predating its construction. These include a well-preserved segment of a Roman road, which also extends to the Morerías Archaeological Area, and an urban Roman dwelling that has undergone multiple renovations and faces the same street. Additionally, a portion of the Roman wall is visible, adjacent to a powerful buttress constructed using recycled granite fragments. Similar to the Morerías Archaeological Area, this buttress is believed to date back to the fifth century AD.