The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula near the city of A Coruna, in Galicia in north-western Spain. It was built under the Roman Empire, probably in the time of Trajan, and is traditionally linked to the architect Gaius Sevius Lupus. It guided ships on the sea route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts of Europe. It is the oldest lighthouse still in use, although its outer shell was rebuilt in neoclassical style in the late eighteenth century. According to local legend, Hercules built it over the head of the giant Geryon, whom he had killed. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.
Before and after
- from 100 CE to 1200Ghana Empire
- from c. 100 CE to 700 CEMoche culture
- from 1st century to 7th centuryNazca culture
- c. 100sConstruction of Trajan's Forum
- 1st centuryConstruction of Tower of Hercules
- 100 CEBirth of Ptolemy
- from 101 CE to 106 CETrajan's Dacian Wars
- 105 CECai Lun reports the invention of paper
- from 106 CE to 107 CETrajan conquers Dacia
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 31st century BCE to 14th century BCEConstruction of Stonehenge
- c. 2,560 BCEConstruction of Great Pyramid of Giza
- 600 BCEFounding of Milan
- from January 27 BCE to January 395 CERoman Empire
- 11 May 330 CEConstantine dedicates Constantinople
- 25 March 421 CEFounding of Venice
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.