Sightseeing Málaga
Thousands visit Ronda every day, but few discover this ancient Roman city
Oct 2, 2014 - 1:34 PM
Acinipo - Old Ronda
Thousands visit Ronda every day, but few discover this ancient Roman city
Oct 2, 2014 - 1:34 PM
The ancient Romans city of Acinipo, lying in a strategic position close to 1,000 km above sea level some 18 km from Ronda, was built by the Romans in the 1st Century BC and became a thriving urban area with a population of more than 5,000 people. Its prosperity during the days of the Empire is marked by the fact that it was permitted to mint its own coins; some found in excavations at the site show the name ‘Acinipo’, with a bunch of grapes and two sheaves of wheat.
The remains include one of the oldest and best preserved Roman amphitheatres in Europe, built between 60-50 AD with the capacity for some 2,000 spectators. The orchestra pit was constructed with pink marble from local quarries. The remains of the forum have also been uncovered and the public baths with three pools, which would have offered hot, cold and warm water to the inhabitants.
The city’s main roads have been located: the Cardus, from north to south, and the Decumano, from east to west. There can also be seen, at the entrance to the city, the remains of private dwellings, with the typical Roman layout of an atrium with rooms built around a patio.
In the ruins of this 32 hectare city we can see what is left of the city walls and, outside the walls, some ceramic ovens and two necropolises where grave goods – items which were buried with the body - have been found.
Although the majority of the remains which are visible today date from the Roman period, the oldest finds here are from the Neolithic period. There are Copper Age relics and there is evidence of a Bronze Age settlement, at the entrance to the site, where the foundations of circular stone dwellings can be seen. Archaeologists date these remains between the 9th-6th Centuries BC.
Acinipo began to decline from the 3rd Century AD and, 100 years later, had lost its position of importance in the region to the nearby city of Arunda – Ronda. It’s believed the city was probably abandoned by the VII Century. It was never intensively occupied from this time onwards, which is the main reason the site has is so well preserved today.
The Roman theatre was protected as a historic monument in 1931 and in February 2011 the Junta de Andalucía extended its protection to the entire site, when Acinipo was declared an archaeological site for inscription on Andalucía’s Catalogue of Historical Heritage.
The new archaeological area is demarked as almost 148 hectares, with an additional protected area of more than 250 hectares.
Photo Howard Brereton
|
The remains include one of the oldest and best preserved Roman amphitheatres in Europe, built between 60-50 AD with the capacity for some 2,000 spectators. The orchestra pit was constructed with pink marble from local quarries. The remains of the forum have also been uncovered and the public baths with three pools, which would have offered hot, cold and warm water to the inhabitants.
The city’s main roads have been located: the Cardus, from north to south, and the Decumano, from east to west. There can also be seen, at the entrance to the city, the remains of private dwellings, with the typical Roman layout of an atrium with rooms built around a patio.
In the ruins of this 32 hectare city we can see what is left of the city walls and, outside the walls, some ceramic ovens and two necropolises where grave goods – items which were buried with the body - have been found.
Although the majority of the remains which are visible today date from the Roman period, the oldest finds here are from the Neolithic period. There are Copper Age relics and there is evidence of a Bronze Age settlement, at the entrance to the site, where the foundations of circular stone dwellings can be seen. Archaeologists date these remains between the 9th-6th Centuries BC.
Photo Howard Brereton
|
Acinipo began to decline from the 3rd Century AD and, 100 years later, had lost its position of importance in the region to the nearby city of Arunda – Ronda. It’s believed the city was probably abandoned by the VII Century. It was never intensively occupied from this time onwards, which is the main reason the site has is so well preserved today.
The Roman theatre was protected as a historic monument in 1931 and in February 2011 the Junta de Andalucía extended its protection to the entire site, when Acinipo was declared an archaeological site for inscription on Andalucía’s Catalogue of Historical Heritage.
The new archaeological area is demarked as almost 148 hectares, with an additional protected area of more than 250 hectares.
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