Colonia Aelia Augusta Italica (Santiponce)

Italica was set up in the year 206 BC by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus for the veterans of the battle from Ilipia (Alcalá del Río). It was a question of the first roman city foundation on the Iberian peninsula.

Initial the city was square with a ditch and a parapet. A temple with three chapels was in the center.

Two emperors came from Italica: Marcus Ulpius Traianus (98 to 117 AD) and Publius Aelius Hadrianus (117 to 138 AD). The city became only under latter - on request of a delegation of the city - the rank of a colony.

Under Hadrian a completely new quarter was built - the so-called nova urbs. This quarter had - next to public buildings - particularly fashionable city houses (domus). Public buildings were an amphitheater, assembly rooms, thermal springs and an emperor cult temple. This quarter was approximately used up to the middle of the 3rd century.

In the old part of the town - the so-called vetus urbs - were also a temple, the theater and thermal springs. This part was settled up to the Moorish control (from 711 AD).

The modern city Santiponce was initially founded at the bank of the Guadalquivir. After one of the frequent inundations, on September, 20th 1603, the settlement place was moved onto the place to the vetus urbs.

In the year 2004 the excavation in the new quarter (nova urbs) had opened as follows:

On Monday is only at public holidays opened.

The theater and the small thermal springs are only visible from outside.