- The excavation complex includes 3 zones: Porteia, El Foro, the theater.
- Exhibits from the excavations are exhibited in the Monographic Museum.
Pollentia, or Pollency, is an ancient Roman city in Mallorca, between the coves of Alcudia and Pollens, closer to Alcudia (the ruins of Pollentia are next to the wall of the medieval fortress of Alcudia). It was founded in 123 BC by Consul Quintus Cecilia and was the capital of Mallorca and the most important city of the Balearic province.
The first excavations of the ancient Roman city were carried out in the 16th century - thanks to the accidentally found head of the statue of the Roman Emperor Augustus. Regular archaeological research began in the last century, in 1923, under the guidance of Professor Gabriel Llabres Quintana.
What can you see in Pollentia today?
Today Pollentia is 12 hectares of excavation (approximately the city occupied about 16-18 hectares). Closest to Alcudia are the ruins of an ancient theater. In addition, here you can see Portellu - a residential area (also sometimes pronounced "Porteia"), where the buildings that now bear the name "House of the Bronze Head", "House of Two Treasures" and "North-Western House" are partially preserved - they received their name thanks to the finds made in them. You can also see a forum with a Capitoline temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, the necropolis and the remains of the city wall. Recently, excavations are being conducted in the Forum area, and if you visit Pollentium on a weekday, you may be witnessing ongoing work.
If you want to not just wander through the ruins, but get a closer look at archaeological finds and research - visit the Monument Museum of Pollentia in Alcudia. Visit the museum - on the same tickets that you buy to visit the excavation site. Here you can see sculptures and statues, decorative ornaments, a collection of ceramics. A permanent exposition in the museum has been working since 1987. Photographing in the museum is prohibited.
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How and when to visit Pollentia?
To visit the excavations, you will need to get to Alcudia . This can be done from Palma de Mallorca - by bus number 351, 352 or 353. The cost of visiting the excavations themselves is minimal - about 2 euros; the cost includes a visit to the museum, and a short guide to excavations. Experienced tourists do not recommend visiting ruins in the very heat, because there is absolutely no place to hide there.