Sergi Navarro Just

The archaeological data coming from necropolis, burials, and the funerary topography, from the Early Roman Empire’s epigraphy to the Late Antiquity tombs, has served as a plot to set up an analytic study of the roman funerary practices of the city of Dertosa. This research, focused on the fragmentary knowledge of the ancient city, has been based on the historiography sources, the epigraphic remains, and the archaeological evidence. With the help of gravestones we can be approached to life and memory of the ancient inhabitants of Dertosa: from relevant personalities and rich freedmen, to foreigner soldiers and current citizens who were buried in a total anonymity.

The historical development of the Israelite communities, who settled in the city of Tarragona, since their emerging presence in the Late Roman Empire until their final expulsion at the end of the fifteenth century, has served as a plot to give a new impulse to the Hebrew legacy of Tarragona. This past of Mosaic faith, often forgotten and otherwise silenced in the sources, highlights the important role that the Jewish population has developed in Tarragona being part of the society and also from the main city.

In recent years, our knowledge about the late Roman burial areas of the city of Dertosa has increased significantly mainly due to the excavations that have been carried out in the Rastre ravine area. In this paper we present the data of funeral type obtained from the excavations of Mercè street between 2009 and 2010. Is remarkable the finding of a VIth century set of stone slab graves covered by ashlars. This type of burial, which must be reserved for individuals of high social rank, was unknown in Tortosa until now.

The study of the ancient past of the city of Tortosa suffers from a delay of several decades in comparison with other cities with a similar heritage. In order to mitigate that lack, the Seminari de Protohistòria i Arqueologia (GRESEPIA) de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili, of Tarragona, has been leading a research project that has provided very interesting results, particulary from the archaeological excavations carried out in Sant Domènech street in Tortosa. In this area of the old part of the city, two graves belonging to an extensive late Roman necropolis have been discovered, as well as several early Roman walls and, what is more significant, the remains of an iberian fortification. The discovery of this fortification confirms the long-speculated presence of an important pre-roman
oppidum at the top of the Zuda hill, in the middle of the old part of the city.

La investigación histórica y arqueológica llevada a cabo durante los últimos años en la ciudad romana de Dertosa (Tortosa, Baix Ebre), ha permitido documentar una importante dinámica funeraria perteneciente a una extensa necrópolis de época tardoromana. El estudio de dichas inhumaciones ha proporcionado un amplio conjunto de contenedores anfóricos, todos ellos pertenecientes a importaciones, que ponen de relieve el importante papel de la ciudad en la Antigüedad Tardía. Estos indicadores cerámicos atestiguan tanto la continuidad de Dertosa como lugar de tránsito y consumo de importaciones, como de las infraestructuras portuarias durante los siglos IV y VII dC

The archaeological interventions performed at the Mercè street, carried out between 2009 and 2010, have documented an important historical sequence for understanding the organization of the southern area of the city of Tortosa, specially for the Early Roman Empire, the Late Antiquity and the Muslim period. The remains, dated from 11th to 12th centuries, belonging to two different households, with differentiate chambers and a central courtyard. Likewise the works unearthed a Late Roman necropolis and a singular funerary complex belonging to 6th century. Finally, the excavations had found a part of a roman industrial building, dated from 1 to 2nd centuries.

The archaeological interventions performed at the urban area known as Antic Mercat del Peix, carried out between 2004 and 2007, had contributed, in a significant way, to the knowledge of the medieval and modern fortified systems of the Tortosa’s southern flank. Likewise the works had unearthed the structural project of the Sant Pere’s church, belonging to the 18th century, which was never finished and neither consecrated. Therefore the excavations fill out the urban core puzzle, built before the 19th century, of this side of Tortosa