JAÉN, SPAIN—El País reports that the bases of the Janus Augustus Arch, which marked the beginning of the more than 900-mile-long Hispania Baetica, have been unearthed in southern Spain. “Thanks to this find, you can pinpoint down to the last centimeter where you are on the Via Augusta,” said Juan Pedro Bellón of Jaén University, “the main road through Baetica Hispania that leads to Rome in one direction and to the Atlantic in Cádiz in the other.” Bellón also explained that the monument would have marked the border and served as a symbol of Roman power and influence. He thinks blocks from the arch may have been reused in the thirteenth century to build the Mengibar Tower, which was part of an Arabic fort, but is hopeful that additional pieces from the arch will be found. He is also looking for a possible temple in the area. “So far, we have found ornamental remains and decorative vegetable molds,” he said. For more on Spain's connection with Rome, go to “Spain’s Silver Boom.”
