On the outskirts of the ancient city of Tarraco, on the banks of the Francolí River, the Necropolis of Tarraco takes visitors on a journey back in time to the funerary practices and beliefs of the Roman world and to life in the neighbourhoods outside the walls of a Roman city.
This sprawling cemetery includes both tombs of people of the Roman religion and early Christian Romans, from the 3rd-5th centuries AD. With more than 2,000 documented burials, the cemetery is one of the most important surviving burial grounds of the Roman Empire.
As you walk through the necropolis, you can see various types of tombs. The place and method of burial varied according to the deceased's social status. The higher the status, the closer they were buried to a main road, such as the Via Augusta. Therefore, burial sites ranged from simple graves with coffins made of materials such as wood, stone or lead, to more elaborate mausoleums and churches with decorated sarcophagi.
The necropolis was uncovered during the construction of the Tobacco Factory in 1923. Subsequent excavation made it possible to conclude that the bishop of Tarraco St. Fructuosus and his deacons St. Augurius and St. Eulogius were buried in 259 AD. It also revealed the location of the crypts of the Arches and of the Engineers; uncovered details about religious beliefs and life in Roman times; and brought to light pieces such as the tombstone of Optimus, the Lion sarcophagus and the Ivory Doll, which was found inside a sarcophagus with the remains of a six-year-old girl.
Therefore, the necropolis of Tarraco is an essential stop for all those interested in archaeology and Roman history. The complex is part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
