Villa Romana de els Munts

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dates

first century CE

Excavation Dates

1960s to present

Garden Description

This richly adorned pleasure villa by the sea was built early in the first century CE and continued in use into the fifth century. Its period of greatest splendor was between about 100 and 250 CE. It was pillaged and burned shortly after 268, dated by a hoard of coins found in the underground prison. The prison was equipped with stocks, presumably for punishment of slaves. The mansion was rebuilt and enlarged during the fourth century CE.

Across the front of the house on the side by the sea ran a portico [1] in a northwest-to-southeast direction to offer the best view. The garden lay between this portico and the sea. The excavator judged the area to be a garden, and his view is supported by several pools and perhaps a nymphaeum in the area. Also, at its southeast end, the portico turns and runs towards the sea. Opening onto this arm was a reception room with seven octagonal fountains arranged in a U. This room thus faced the garden and a pool rather than the sea. The portico was extended by a walkway and steps which defined the edge of the garden and led down the hill to a large bath complex added in the fourth-century rebuilding.

Plans

Villa Romana de Els Munts, Altafulla.

Credit: Gorges, Planche LVI.

Bibliography

F. Tarrats et al., "El área residencial de la villa romana de "Els Munts," Madrider Mitteilungen 41. Mainz, 2000, pp. 358-379. (worldcat)
F. Tarrats, E. Ramón Seriñena and J. M. Macías I Solé, "Noves intervencions a la vil.la romana dels Munts," in Tribuna d'Arqueologia 1996-1997. Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, 1997, pp. 35-56. (worldcat)
J.G. Gorges, Les villas hispano-romaines: nventaire et problématique archéologiques. Centre Pierre Paris, París, 1979, p. 407-8. (worldcat)

Keywords

Places

Villa dels Munts (Pleiades:250016)

Altafulla on Gardens of the Roman Empire