Картахена

Cartagena recovered one of its major monuments from beneath the fabric of the later city. Excavations began in October 1988 at the former palace of the Countess of Peralta, where a craft centre was planned; the remains were identified as a Roman theatre in 1990. Successive buildings, including the old cathedral, had concealed the ancient structure. Excavation campaigns between 1996 and 2003 exposed almost the entire theatre. Its recovery changed more than the archaeological map: conservation and museum development became part of the renewal of the surrounding old town, bringing the Roman city into view within the modern port.