Conca
Dellà has been occupied from ancient times. Some remains dated before
the Roman occupation have been found. From the 1st century BC, the Roman city of
Aeso was founded and the area was intensely populated, as the city's influence
caused the consolidation of Roman villas, that is to say, estates devoted to agricultural
exploitation.One part of the Aeso Roman city has been conserved on the soil of the current town of Isona. The other part is located on the crops adjoining to the villa. Nowadays, part of its wall is already known and it is hoped that, in further archaeological excavation expeditions, the internal structure of the city will be discovered.
Aeso, spearhead of Romanization in inner Catalonia, is one of the least widely known Roman cities, although it is not less important for this reason. The Romanization period in Isona lasted five centuries, from the end of the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD.
After the archaeological confirmation of the existence of an Iberian settlement, known under the name of Eso, it is possible to talk about a first Roman occupation ņa military camp in the 2nd century BC. At the beginning of the 1st century BC, it led to the creation of a 4-hectare city with a urban plan similar to other foundations from the same age.
At the end of the 1st century AD, Aeso became the "Municipium Aesonensis", a city with full rights. As time went by, it grew and extended beyond its walls, while undergoing urban changes.
Between the end of the 4th century AD and the beginning of the 5th century AD Aeso had to face a strong crisis from which it never recovered. Some of its quarters depopulated an those who continued living in the city probably gathered in the high area.
The most important Roman legacy preserved up to the present is the excellent epigraphic memorial tablets collection found in the Isona municipality. In addition to the life of the city's most important families, epigraphs have allowed knowing about the life of Lucius Aemilius Paternus, the most distinguished character within Aeso's history, a famous centurion of the Roman legions, decorated three times by emperor Trajan.
 Conca Dellà |
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Roman inscription |
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Tower |
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Excavation |
