Pollentia ( Catalan: Pol·lèntia) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

city founded by

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus (born c. 170 BC) was a Roman statesman and general who was elected consul for the year 123 BC. Career Quintus Caecilius Metellus was the eldest son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, the Roman consul o ...

in the present city of

Alcúdia Alcúdia () is a municipality and township of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the main tourism, tourist centre in the north of Majorca on the eastern coast. It is a large r ...

, allegedly in the year 123 BC. The first documented remains belong, however, to the first half of the 1st century BC. This had led the researchers to establish the possibility of the creation of a ''castra'' (military camp) by the military expedition that, a generation later, would result in the current city of Pollentia.

History

Like the other Roman cities founded by consul Metellus, it is believed Pollentia was a Roman ''castra'' (camp) until c. 70 BC, when, according to the excavations in the

forum Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...

area, the urbanization of the city was reorganized and monumentalized. Pollentia was a rich and prosperous city, whose conserved area is around 16

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...

. This area suffered a devastating fire in the 3rd century AD, but the city was not depopulated, since the construction of a fortification in the 5th century AD has been documented in the same forum. In the following centuries, Pollentia was partially or totally unpopulated, with the Christian medieval population settling down a bit further north, in the present town of

, which lies next to

Pollença Pollença () is a town and municipality in the northern part of the island of Mallorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies inland, about west of its port, Port de Pollença. History The origin of the name "Pollença" can be traced ba ...

, the town that carries the name of this ancient Roman city. Excavations, since the 16th century, but especially since the beginning of the 20th century, have occurred mainly in the area of ''Sa Portella'' (a residential district), the city

and the

taberna A ''taberna'' (: ''tabernae'') was a type of shop or stall in Ancient Rome. Originally meaning a single-room shop for the sale of goods and services, ''tabernae'' were often incorporated into domestic dwellings on the ground level flanking the ...

e, and in the

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

. Opposite the site, within the town of Alcúdia, is the small, but extremely interesting Museo Monográfico de Pollentia. It contains finds from the excavations, including some of the many inscriptions that have been found. A guidebook, covering the site and the museum, was published in 2021. The poet

Miquel Costa i Llobera Miquel Costa i Llobera (10 March 1854 – 16 October 1922) was a Spanish poet from Majorca. He mainly wrote in Catalan language. He is regarded as a prominent figure of Catalan poetry. Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo described him as an excellent ...

wrote a number of poems in which the Roman ruins of Pollentia are exalted, most notably in his renowned ''Ode to Horace'' as well as in ''Over the ruins of the Roman theater of Pollentia''.

References

{{authority control History of Mallorca Roman towns and cities in Spain 17th-century archaeological discoveries Archaeological museums in Spain Former populated places in Spain Ruins in Spain