Portus Ilicitanus, Roman archaeological site in Santa Pola, Spain.
Portus Ilicitanus is an excavated Roman port in Santa Pola with visible warehouses, bathhouses, and trading buildings spread across multiple levels. The structures lie partially exposed and reveal the typical layout of an ancient harbor complex with distinct functional zones.
The port developed in early antiquity as a trading center for the Roman colony of Ilici and remained active for centuries. It reached its greatest importance from the 1st century BCE until the 5th century CE, before the settlement gradually declined.
The name refers to the ancient port city and its role as a trading hub. The visible remains today show how merchants and craftspeople lived and worked here, with traces of their daily activities preserved in walls and objects.
The site has regular visiting hours and informative panels at key structures that explain their original function. The paths are mostly ground-level, making it easy to walk through the different areas on foot.
Chemical analysis of glass objects found here shows that many were made by Egyptian craftspeople. This discovery documents trade routes that connected the southern Mediterranean to this small Roman harbor town.
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