The archaeological site of Barrio del Foro Romano

Beneath the bustling streets of modern Cartagena lies a hidden secret: the ancient Roman forum district, known as the Barrio del Foro Romano. This archaeological site is built around a Roman street, the Decumano, which dates back to the first century. However, the remains visible today belong to a large reform carried out during the fourth century, after the emperor Diocletian named Carthago Nova the capital of the Carthaginense province.

A late-imperial portal can still be found at the entrance to the city's port. Nearby, a large thermal establishment on Calle Honda was built in the high imperial period. This building seems to have been in use until the fourth century, undergoing renovations in the third century A.D. when Carthago Nova was constituted as the capital of the Carthaginense province. Visitors today can explore the remains of the thermal establishment, which once contained warm water rooms (caldarium), cold water rooms (frigidarium), a sauna (sudatio), and a palestra for gymnastic exercises.

The sanctuary of the goddess Isis, built in the mid-first century A.D, is another significant discovery at the Barrio del Foro Romano. The sanctuary features a tetrastyle temple with four columns, providing access to the chapel where fragments of the goddess's image were found. Three shrines related to the cult can be found at the back of the sanctuary, along with underground cisterns used for water in mystery ceremonies. Nearby stands the Edificio del atrio, a two-story building decorated with remarkable mural paintings, which has been identified as the seat of a collegium.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons