Roman Wall — The Republic Builds a Permanent Foothold
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Transcript
Tarragona’s Roman walls began in the late third century BC during Rome’s wars in Iberia and were enlarged in the second century BC. Their huge stone base and later ashlar work reveal more than defensive anxiety: Rome was turning a military foothold into a durable centre.
The circuit was repeatedly reused in medieval and modern fortification, so the wall is not an untouched Republican artifact. Towers, repairs and later buildings accumulated around it.
That long use helps explain why Tarraco matters archaeologically. Roman infrastructure was strong enough to become the skeleton of subsequent Tarragona rather than disappear beneath a completely new city.