Entertainment » History

Cartagena is a beautiful Mediterranean town in a privileged place in the southwest of Spain.

Mastiens, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs left their traces and contributed to the formation of a melting pot through the centuries: the idiosyncrasy of today’s Carthaginian peoples. It is a luminous and cheerful town where the sun shines more than 300 days a year.

Its lovely weather, the mild temperatures in winter and the beauty of its landscapes make Cartagena a splendid tourist resort, where we must not forget to see its archaeological remains, the castles and fortresses of the 18th century, and the “Modernista” buildings from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Cartagena lives within our history but the history also lives within our city, with such intensity that the peoples of Cartagena make themselves the protagonists of some events occurred over 2200 years ago and turn them into unique celebrations all over the national geography: the Carthaginians and the Romans.

They are based on the celebration of the Second Punic War and the figures of general Hannibal and the one who beat him, Cornelius Scipio.

The commemorations begin with the foundation of Kart-Hadast by Hasdrubal in 223 b.C. and end with the Roman victory in 209 b.C.

During ten days of festivities the population represents and relives an incredible atmosphere involving both the locals and the foreigners, where all the deeds occurred during Carthaginian domination, their failure and the Roman occupation take place again.

The troops and legions are the engine of acts based on the history of the city and great shows held to display all the costumes and weapons, resembling even the best films.

In the second fortnight of September, Cartagena and its peoples get dressed in history and for ten magnificent days they remember the adventures of the heroes of Carthago and Rome.

The staging is quite often set up in the exact same places where the events happened years ago. Participants and spectators go back in time 2200 years to relive in the street, step by step, some historical events that Cartagena is proud of.

In a huge area, where each one of the 50 groups comprising the Carthaginians and the Romans is located, the camp is formed and a bar is set up for all the visitors. This way, the campsite becomes a great city set in that time, where the art and symbols from Rome and Carthago, Greece, Iberia and Phoenicia preside over the constructions.

Happiness, noise and excitement are the protagonists of these nights where you can even sit at the same table as Scipio, eat Hannibal’s wedding cake and even watch the kidnapping of some beautiful lady or the invasion of the enemy’s camp by the warriors of Rome and Carthago.

The festivities held by Carthaginians and Romans show and summarise the beliefs and actions of a city that knows how to join the past and the present to relive what happened in a leisurely manner.

More info: http://www.cartaginesesyromanos.es