In the second half of the 1st century A.D., the city’s acropolis achieved monumental status through the construction of the Provincial Forum and the Roman circus. With a joint area of 7.5 hectares, the complex was the largest of its kind in the Roman world. The Provincial Forum was built around two terraced squares on different levels. The upper square (the imperial cult complex) was surrounded by a portico, large portions of which can still be seen in the cloister of the city’s cathedral. At one end, in an axial position, was a large hall, possibly the assembly hall for meetings of the Council of Hispania Citerior province. Approximately in the centre of the upper square stood the magnificent temple in honour of the Emperor.

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