Abstract:

The pattern of distribution of the coinage found in the region of Camp de Tarragona has pointed out a concentration, mostly of Hispanic-Carthaginian coins, centered in the urban center of El Vilar (Valls). This concentration points at the presence of the Punic Army in the area, controlling the Cosetan region and the communications between the coast and the inlands. This presence, according to the archaeological evidence, could be dated by 218 BC. The recent archaeological works conducted in the El Vilar, has attested the presence of ballistae projectiles between the levels of fire and collapse of the houses, highlighting the violent destruction suffered by the actions of an army employing torsion artillery. This evidence is connected, pointing at the assault and destruction of the city by Hannibal Barca troops. Finally, the proposal of a Punic fortress in the upper area of Tarragona, prior to the construction of the Roman wall at the beginning of the second century BC, is discussed, and its possible relationship with the Carthaginian control of the territory collected at the beginning of the Second Punic War.