206 BC: Italica

We took a field trip with UPO to the remains of the ancient Roman city of Italica, which is about 20 minutes outside Sevilla. The old city was founded in 206 BC, which is actually buried under the ground under the modern day city of Santiponce.

The “New City” has been unearthed and is open to the public. "New", however, actually means 1,900 years old. Walking through these ruins I found myself wondering what Fort Worth would look like in 2,000 years. It’s pretty mind boggling.

The highlight of the trip for me was the amphitheater, which at one time held over 25,000 spectators for gladiator-like events here. The picture shows only the inner structure of the amphitheater. It was originally covered completely in marble until locals began taking the marble to use in their homes.

The rest of the city was less preserved as only the foundations remain. But the city was a very wealthy one and the size and complexity of the houses was incredible. Additionally, Italica was the birthplace of Roman emperors Trajan and Adrian, who were the first emperors born outside of Rome. This is pretty significant because it shows how Spain influenced the Roman Empire.

This trip to Italica was extremely informative and interesting and I would recommend making it a quick day trip. If you don't catch the UPO field trip there is a bus that runs from the Plaza de Armas bus station at half hour intervals.

Above is a YouTube video I found with photos from Italica.