Italica

Italica was an ancient Roman city in Hispania; its site is close to the town of Santiponce in the province of Seville, Spain [1]. It was founded in 206 BC by Roman general Scipio as a colonia for his Italic veterans and named after them [1]. The vetus urbs (original or "old" city) developed into a prosperous city and was built on a Hippodamian street plan with public buildings and a forum at the centre, linked to a busy river port [1]. Italica was important enough in late Antiquity to have a bishop of its own, and had a garrison during the Visigothic age [1]. The archaeological site of Italica encompasses mainly the nova urbs with its many fine buildings from the Hadrianic period [1]. The Traianeum was a large, imposing temple in honour of the Emperor Trajan, built by his adopted son and successor, Hadrian [1]. The aqueduct of 37 km total length was first built in the 1st c. AD and extended under Hadrian to add a more distant source for supplying the expanded city [1].