Barcelona

The origin of the earliest settlement at the site of present-day Barcelona is unclear [1]. The ruins of an early settlement have been found, including different tombs and dwellings dating to earlier than 5000 BC [1]. Archeological evidence in the form of coins from the 3rd century BC have been found on the hills at the foot of Montjuïc with the name Bárkeno written in the Iberian script in the Iberian language [1]. In about 15 BC, the Romans redrew the town as a castrum centred on the "Mons Taber", a little hill near the Generalitat and city hall buildings [1]. The Roman Forum, at the crossing of the Cardo Maximus and Decumanus Maximus, was approximately placed where current Plaça de Sant Jaume is [1]. The city was conquered by the Visigoths in the early 5th century, becoming for a few years the capital of all Hispania [1].