... in the year 152 BC Cordvba was a Latin colony founded by Marcus Claudius Marcellus. In times of Augustus, Cordvba became the capital of the province Andalusia.

This led the city to grow and set up all services of a great capital. The defence walls have been extended, the Via Augusta was passing through town and a large bridge over the Guadalquivir river (named Betis on those times) was built. It was also constructed the aqueduct (Aqua Augusta), public water sources and sewerage system. At this time the Roman colons were producing a great olive oil, they use to send to Rome, in amphorae, by boat and soon was to become the first agricultural product exported from Hispania, under constant praise from classical writers. When the oil was finally arriving to Rome, it used to be moved skins and jars, and the amphoras which had the character of disposable containers, produced an accumulation over time which came to form an artificial hill known in our days under the name "Monte Testaccio”, ie, the Mount of sherds.

The millions of amphorae olearias thrown over nearly three centuries (since the time of Augustus to mid-third century) in the Monte Testaccio, coming almost entirely from single province Baetica, have become a unvaluable historical source. Although apparentlywith no interest to the uninitiated one (they are still mere fragments of clay) for the archaeologist, due to the epigraphic information they contain, these fragments are converted in a rich archive with vital importance to dicover the Andalucía place where were manufactured and destination point to which the oil was sent for consumption. In the ancient times, like these days also, the Andalusian olive oil production center was in the valley of the Guadalquivir, a bit on west side in those times compared to nowadays (with the current dominance in Cordoba and especially Jaén, the olive province par excellence).