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Museo de la romanización

Located in the old part of the city, in a modernist palace known as the “House of the Millionaire”, the Museum of the Romanization is a unique window into the history of Calahorra during the roman period. This museum houses more than a thousand pieces that depict the evolution of the city from the culture celtiberian until the romanization complete, covering a period that goes from the II century a.C. up to the IV.C.

Journey through the history

The museum is spread over three floors that will guide you through the different aspects of roman life:

ground Floor: the tour begins with the culture celtiberian, the first vestiges of local history, and the arrival of the romans. Here you will find objects impressive as coins, weapons of legionnaire and shells catapult found at archaeological sites nearby.
First floor: this plant takes you into a typical domus romana (roman house), showing how they were the dwellings of the period, the materials of construction, the mosaics of the streets Bower and Head, and a prominent mural painting of The Clinic. One of the most admired is the figure known as Diana the Huntress (the face of traits egyptians), a exceptional decoration for your beauty and details.
Second floor: in this section, we explore the economic activities of the period, such as agriculture, metallurgy, alfares and trade. You can see parts of places like Lawn, Varea and Tricio, as well as valuable roman sculptures of marble and alabaster, among which are the well-known as a Lady Calagurritana (in reality a youngster), Aphrodite, and Jupiter.

A building with history

The building that houses the museum, known as the “House of the Millionaire”, was built in 1930 with the money which Angel Oliván, his owner, won in the National Lottery. In 1982, it was acquired by the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, and ceded to the City of Calahorra. In 2009, the museum became a section of the Museum of La Rioja, specializing in the romanization of the region.

The importance of Calahorra in the Romanization

Calahorra was a key place in the romanization of Hispania, and the museum highlights how the city went from being a territory celtiberian to a thriving roman settlement. Through its exhibitions, you will be able to know how was the daily life of the inhabitants of the city, their beliefs, their economic activities and their relationship with the roman world.

Opus tessellatum mosaic from Calle La Enramada, nos. 16–17

It was discovered during urbanisation works on this street in 1995. The rectangular pavement measures 3.50 by 2.20 metres, although it was found to be in a very poor state of repair and underwent restoration work. It is made of black, purple, white, grey, yellow, ochre, red and pink tesserae and is the work of a local or regional workshop, with obvious defects in its manufacture. The geometric decoration consists of a band of black tesserae framing three rectangles, the two outer ones containing an internal rhombus of black tesserae, outlined in white. Inside the rhombuses is an ochre Maltese cross. The central rectangle with a light background is framed by intertwined peltas. Next, a border of peltas frames the central field, formed by rectangles and squares joined at their vertices, between which are rhombuses. The presence of tiles made from yellow and purple limestone from Espejón (Soria) has been noted in this mosaic. It dates from the 3rd-4th centuries AD. It can be visited at the Museum of Romanisation of La Rioja in Calahorra, Calle Ángel Oliván No. 8.