Puerta de Mar y baños termales - Roman sea wall gate
MUHBA Porta de Mar free museum with an explanation about the roman wall sea gate and the Roman thermal bathhouse
About Puerta de Mar y baños termales - Roman sea wall gate
Barcelona's Roman wall is partially remaining today with sections that can be viewed. This section of the Roman wall is the Porta de Mar in the Gothic Centre. It was the sea facing gatehouse and thermal bathhouse complex outside of the walls of the Roman city of Barcino that led onto what was the beach and port of Barcelona.
Outside of the city walls were two Roman thermal bath complexes, one for men and one for women, built between the 1st and 2nd century AD.
Next to the bath houses there were other constructions most likely were a horreum, a large underground warehouse linked to the port. The large portico of this important complex also monumentalised the Porta de Mar sea gate which was the most important entrance into Barcino (Roman Barcelona).
In the 4th century AD a new wall with 76 towers was built in to surround Barcino which was constructed on the outside of the existing wall, strengthening the defensive enclosure of the city.
The eastern Decumana Gate (sea gate) was the gate which merchants and goods arrived from all over the Mediterranean. At the gate there was a guard who collected the Portoria, taxes that were paid on land or sea transport of goods and people.
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