Roses, a Greek colony in SpainRoses, Spain

Roses or Rhodus (Ῥόδη, Ῥόδος, Ῥοδίπολις/Ῥόδη πόλις) was Ancient Greek colony in Spain.

Positioned on a protective promontory, the settlement served as the primary gateway for Greek goods entering the interior of the Pyrenees and the Ampurdán region, directly competing with its southern neighbor, Emporion.

The Foundations of Rhode

Rhode, known today as Roses, was established in the 8th or 7th century BCE as a maritime outpost, though its most significant development occurred in the 4th century BCE as a colony of the Phocaeans from Massalia (Marseille).

While its name has led to historical debate regarding a potential earlier founding by settlers from the island of Rhodes, archaeological evidence confirms it functioned as a vital Greek trading hub within the “Dipolis” of the Gulf of Roses.

Commercial Power and the Roman Transition

The city’s economic prominence is best evidenced by its iconic silver coinage, which featured a rose on the reverse—a symbolic pun on its name that circulated widely across the western Mediterranean.

During the Hellenistic period, Rhode flourished as an urban center with a sophisticated port and industrial zones dedicated to pottery and fish processing. However, following the Roman intervention during the Second Punic War and the subsequent conquest by Cato the Elder in 195 BCE, the Greek autonomy of Rhode waned.

The site was eventually absorbed into the Roman province, and its ruins are now preserved within the walls of the later Renaissance Citadel of Roses, where the original Greek foundations are found today.