Duna de Bolonia: Where the geography of Spain meets the history of Rome
What comes to your mind when you hear about Spain? Flamenco music and dance, paella, La Tomatina festival, bullfights, siesta and of course the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. How about Rome? Well, it’s the city of the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, gelato and pasta. Now imagine if you can end up somewhere in Spain but you are amazed to discover that it has Roman ruins. Sounds far-fetched, isn’t it? Be rest assured it isn’t. Such a place indeed exists and it is called Duna de Bolonia or the Dunes of Bolonia.
Duna de Bolonia at a glance
Deemed as Europe’s largest sand dune, Duna de Bolonia is located at the southern tip of the Spanish province Cadiz near the small village Bolonia. This is where Europe plunges into the Strait of Gibraltar, almost reaching for the North African coast. When we say it is the largest sand dune, we mean it. After all, it is more than 30 metres high and is spread across 200 metres. Like most sand dunes, this too is constantly shifting due to wind and water forces.
You would imagine that it would move closer to the sea (as it happens in most cases), but climate change-induced frequent hurricanes in the area have ensured otherwise. In fact, a kind of east-blowing wind called Levante push the sand dunes inland towards scrublands and pine forests. In recent times, it has exposed the remnants of past Roman civilisations – a necropolis as well as few other settlements. Locals call it the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia.
Baelo Claudia: A bird’s eye view
At the foot of Duna le Bolonia that has been protected as a Spanish national monumental site since 2001 stands the ruins of Baelo Claudia that was once under the Roman Empire. In fact, historians and archaeologists suggest that Romans founded the coastal city of Baelo Claudia in 2nd century B.C. It was complete with ancient baths, residences, theatres, basilica and temples, public stages, aqueducts, Forum (town square), a large fish-salting factory and a tempting view towards Morocco. Additionally, the streets were typically Roman and were either North to South or East to West.
Settling in a foreign land
Okay, but why did Romans suddenly settle in a foreign land? Well, the reason is a bit surprising: It offered them large quantities of tuna, the fish they loved to eat and export (after proper processing). In addition, it was also the key source of a seasoning fish sauce called Garum that was an important ingredient in all tuna dishes. Not to forget, the area is also one of the most strategic points for trade routes between Europe and Africa.
Modern-day excavations reveal that the area was existent till the 7th century AD after which it started to decline and was eventually abandoned due to certain factors such as Spanish attacks, frequent earthquakes, and sea eating up majority of it.
Now, remains of the settlements lie underneath the sand dune that has preserved human bones, human artifacts such as jewellery and arrowheads at the underground burial site as well as the structure’s foundation throughout history. Locals jokingly call it the best-preserved Roman settlements outside Rome.
Interestingly, the site derives its name from Roman emperor Claudius under whose rule the settlement had flourished as a municipium or a municipality.