Torre dels Escipions, Roman funerary monument near Tarragona, Spain
Torre dels Escipions is a Roman burial monument with a square stone base rising across three levels. The middle section displays carved relief work, and the structure maintains a clear and recognizable form along the ancient road.
The monument dates to the first century AD and was erected along the Via Augusta, Rome's principal highway crossing the Iberian Peninsula. It served as a burial marker along a major travel route where passing merchants and soldiers would encounter memorial structures.
The carved figures on the middle section show Attis, a deity whose image connected Roman people to ideas about death and what comes after. Visitors walking around the tower can see how religious symbols were displayed on burial monuments to express these beliefs.
The site sits roughly six kilometers from central Tarragona and is accessible by the N-340 road. Visitors can explore the monument at any time without paying entry fees, making it easy to stop by while traveling through the area.
The monument's name comes from a long-standing case of mistaken identity. Medieval and Renaissance observers believed the carved figures represented the Scipio brothers, famous Roman generals, when in fact they depicted a different deity altogether, yet this misidentification became so established that it gave the place its lasting name.
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