Six kilometers from Tarragona (roman Tarraco in Catalonia, Spain), next to the ancient Via Augusta, stands a stone monument that was misinterpreted for a long time: the Tower of the Scipios.
The tower’s name comes from the mistaken belief that the Scipios, famous for their campaigns in the Second Punic War, had been buried here after their death in combat against the Carthaginians in 211 B.C. However, archaeological research has shown that the tower was built centuries later, ruling out any real connection to them.
The Tower of the Scipios is a remarkable example of Roman funerary style in Hispania. Built in the first half of the 1st century A.D., it has a stepped structure with three superimposed sections, featuring a square stone base made of local lumaquela, measuring approximately 4.5 meters on each side. Lumaquela is a type of limestone formed by fossilized marine shells, which are clearly visible in the building blocks—similar to how nummulites can be seen in the Pyramids of Giza.
The façade of the middle section is decorated with two sculpted relief figures, which were long mistakenly identified as the Roman generals Publius and Gnaeus Scipio. Modern studies have revealed that they actually represent Attis, an Eastern deity associated with funerary rites and the Mother Goddess Cybele.
The 1.85-meter-high figures, dressed in short tunics and Phrygian caps in the Eastern style, stand on decorated pedestals and adopt postures evoking mourning and meditation. The choice of Attis for a funerary monument is no coincidence: this Eastern deity was associated with resurrection and the cycle of life and death, symbolizing the hope for an existence after death for those buried there.
Above these figures, there is a two-line Latin inscription, now heavily eroded, whose interpretation has been a subject of debate among historians. Although the identity of the person buried in the tower remains unknown, the text refers to the memory and permanence of the deceased in this sacred place.
The inscription reads: ORNATE EA QUAE LINQUIT SPECIOSE VITAE SUAE REBUS POSITIS NEGLIGENS: UNUM STATUIT LOCUM IIS SEPULCHRUM UBI PERPETUO REMANE (Crown that which he brilliantly leaves behind, forgetting his life once he has settled matters. For this, a place is established: the tomb where he will remain forever). The inscription is made of the same material as the rest of the tower—lumaquela extracted from a quarry near the sea, close to the monument.
Above, a third, smaller section originally topped the monument, probably with a pyramidal structure that has since disappeared.
For centuries, the Tower of the Scipios aroused the curiosity of travelers and scholars. During the Renaissance, chroniclers such as Jeroni Pujades and Lluís Pons d’Icart mentioned it in their writings, helping to perpetuate the myth of the Scipios. In the 18th century, archaeologist Enrique Flórez produced detailed drawings and studies of the monument.
However, it was not until the 20th century that archaeological studies finally dispelled the misconception. In 1966, researchers Hauschild and Niemeyer established that the tower dated to the 1st century A.D., definitively ruling out any connection to the generals of the Second Punic War. Despite this, the traditional name of the tower has endured to this day.
According to researchers, it is most likely a family mausoleum built in memory of a married couple or two siblings. The monument would have been located where the Via Augusta passed through land owned by the family.
In 2000, UNESCO included the monument on the World Heritage list as part of the archaeological complex of Tarraco, reaffirming its historical and cultural significance. In April 2022, a lightning strike hit the monument, causing cracks in the main façade and the loss of some stone fragments. Authorities took immediate action to assess the damage and plan its restoration.
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on March 14, 2025: La Torre de los Escipiones, el monumento funerario romano mejor conservado de Hispania
SOURCES
Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona, Torre de los Escipiones
UNESCO, Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco
Wikipedia, Torre de los Escipiones
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