Tarrakon-Kese. The protohistoric settlement of the city of Tarragona

The historical development of the city of Tarragona has long been the object of study. The lion’s share of the research has focused on Roman Tarragona, which eclipsed all other previous settlements, despite the fact that it is well known that the site of modern Tarragona was home to a very important Iberian settlement, Tarrakon-Kese, which was possibly the principal settlement of the Cessetani. Historical studies of this protohistoric settlement seem to have begun to gain momentum in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Archaeological excavations in Caputxins, Pere Martell, Eivissa and Jaume I streets brought to light the vestiges of an Iberian settlement which, at its height and according to current data, came to occupy an area of 6 hectares. This article reviews all the data currently available to us regarding the protohistory of Tarragona with a view to systematising them and thus facilitating our understanding of the city’s evolution.

Keywords: Iberian culture, oppidum, urbanism, settlement, Cessetani, Tarraco.