Museu de l'Almoina, Valencia

Museu de l'Almoina is an archaeological museum built around the remains of Valencia’s Roman past. The excavated complex opened in 2007, and the remains came to light when building work was halted in 1985. The most striking story here begins in 138 BC, when Valentia Edetanorum was founded on this site.

A ritual well preserves evidence of a foundation ceremony: vessels, food containers and the bones of young animals were placed inside it, then burned and covered with earth. The well reaches 3.29 m, giving this ceremony a tangible depth. The museum also preserves the remains of public buildings, streets and baths from the Roman city.

These baths are the oldest known across the Iberian Peninsula, with stone construction, tiled floors and benches once used during oil treatments. Look for the surviving part of the grain store: the original building measured 24 m on each side and occupied an entire city block. Beneath the plaza, the imperial forum covered about 6,900 m² and served religious, commercial, political and legal life. The site also records the city’s violent destruction in 75 BC, including seventeen executed soldiers found with weapons.