Cádiz

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, Cádiz was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post [1]. The city was an important trading hub founded to access different metals including gold, tin, and especially silver [1]. Traditionally, Cádiz's founding is dated to c. 1100 BC, although no archaeological strata on the site can be dated earlier than the 9th century BC [1]. Ancient Gadir occupied two small islands—Erytheia, primarily a settlement, and Kotinoussa [1]. One of the city's notable features during antiquity was the temple on the south end of its island dedicated to the Phoenician god Melqart [1]. Under the Roman Republic and Empire, the city flourished as a port and naval base known as Gades [1]. The people of Gades had an alliance with Rome and Julius Caesar bestowed Roman citizenship on all its inhabitants in 49 BC [1]. The overthrow of Roman power in Hispania Baetica by the Visigoths in the AD 400s saw the destruction of the original city [1].