Ciudad Romana de Cáparra

Caparra was a Roman city in Extremadura, Spain, originating as a pre-Roman Veton settlement in the province of Lusitania. Its most iconic monument is a tetrapylum -- a unique four-sided arch, the only surviving example in Spain -- erected at the end of the 1st century AD at the junction of the city's cardo and decumanus. The city gained municipal status under Emperor Vespasian's Edict of Latinity in 74 AD. Strategically located on the Via de la Plata connecting Emerita Augusta to Asturica, Caparra prospered through trade and agriculture. The site preserves remains of thermal baths, a forum with basilica and curia, three necropolises, residential quarters, and an amphitheatre. The city declined in the 4th century and was gradually abandoned.