Going Underground: The ancient Roman port of Pollentia

It is now two and a half years since work on building houses in the centre of Puerto Alcúdia was suspended after remains were found which suggested that a site of archaeological importance had been accidentally unearthed (27 October, 2007: Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect).

The site, on the corner of Coral and Mar i Estany (opposite the Coral de Mar hotel), is believed to be evidence of the spread of the Roman inhabitation of what was then Pollentia. Of greatest significance is the fact that it may well be in the area where once was located the "great gate" of the Roman port. So much interest has been raised by this site, and by other discoveries and theories, that - as reported in "The Diario" yesterday - a survey from the air using sonar-detection equipment is to be commissioned by the heritage department of the Council of Mallorca. This will aim to reveal the nature of the ancient port's structure, beneath both the sea and land.

The main line of thinking appears to be that there was a marine connection that crossed or went to the side of what were then the Albufera wetlands. The old coastline went as far as a kilometre or so inland from where it is today; the Roman theatre was, if you like, an ancient attraction by the sea, as it - more or less - marks the spot where the sea encroached. The name of one of those streets - Mar i Estany - has its own significance. This is still sometimes used as the name for the port area of Alcúdia: sea and lake.

The extent of the Roman city is really only now beginning to be appreciated. While the Roman ruins and excavations in the old town of Alcúdia have been worked on for over half a century and are the most obvious manifestation of the Roman settlement, Pollentia was far bigger than just the site of the ruins. It stretched from the current port area, across the old town and to the bay of Pollensa. There is meant, somewhere, to be a "small gate" which looked across at what is now Puerto Pollensa.

Historical documents reveal that the great gate was referred to in mediaeval times, while other documents delve further back in time to indicate that not only was Pollentia an important maritime stopping-off port between Italy and Spain but also that there was - in all likelihood - a lighthouse during Roman times. The excavations in the old town have now also uncovered the outline of various streets and of an urbanisation that itself had been originally - and unknowingly - opened up as long ago as the 1930s when a trench was dug which had been intended to allow the building of a railway line - yes, the train was meant to have come to Alcúdia that long ago.

The ongoing discoveries, the air survey and the occasionally fortuitous side-effects of construction all do, however, lead to a question as to how much more by way of development Alcúdia can have, if some of the archaeology of Roman times is not to be lost completely. There seems little doubt that underneath the current port area there are all sorts of historical treasures. They're not about to knock anything down, or you would think not, but whether they can risk putting anything up is another matter.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.