Tivissa
An Iberian town at the mouth of the Ebro. It was probably destroyed by Cato in 195 B.C. Several small treasures have been found. One included silver coins, five pairs of gold earrings, bracelets, rings, a silver clasp, the handle. of a bronze mirror, a plowshare, all from the beginning of the 2d c. B.C., and now in the Archaeological Museum of Tarragona. A second treasure consisted of three coins and a bronze yoke, now in the Archaeological Museum of Barcelona. The third treasure included several paterae, two bracelets, ten vases, and fragments of others.
The houses were rectangular, with stone foundations and adobe above. The town was walled. The gate is flanked by two towers, triangular on the outside and quadrangular elsewhere, 13.75 long by 6.50 m wide. The town had a central street beginning at the gate, 7.7 m wide and crossed by two transverse streets; the gates in the S wall were 2 m wide. One of the streets has a drainage ditch 6 m long, and remains of two others. Parts of the streets were paved with large, smooth slabs, also used in some houses. A nozzle from a foundry, three stoppers with molded, hand-painted, ceramic decorations, and Campanian pottery have also been found.
BIBLIOGRAPHYJ. de C. Serra-Ráfols, “El poblado ibérico del Castellet de Banyols,” Ampurias 3 (1941) 15-341; S. Vilaseca et al., Excavaciones del plan nacional en el Castellet de Bañolas de Tivisa (Tarragona) (1949) MPI; A. García y Bellido, “Le ‘tresor’ de Tivisa,” GBA 41 (1953) 229ff; J. M. Blázquez, “La interpretación de la pátera de Tivisa,” Ampurias 17-18 (1955-56) 111-30I.
J. M. BLÁZQUEZ