Carteia (San Roque, Cádiz, Spain) is one of the main ancient cities in the Iberian Peninsula, and sits in a major geostrategic space: the strait of Gibraltar. With Phoenician origins, it achieved a prominent role as a Punic city and later on, thanks to its transformation into Colonia Libertinorum Carteia in 171 BC. Despite its solid history, the research carried out thus far in the city has barely allowed us to know most of its archaeological reality, and some large questions regarding urban planning and the use of Carteia's urban land in the Roman period remain unanswered.

In what concerns the city's private architecture and use of space, there are currently some visible examples unearthed, such as the domus of the Torre del Rocadillo or the domus of the tetrastyle atrium beside the Republican temple. Through revisiting previous excavations undertaken during the 20th century, other examples are known, such as the domus of the Corte VI, the domus of the Trinchera or a Late Antiquity house built on the remains of the basilical building. Despite the limited sample, the buildings are significant enough to give information about the occupation within the space enclosed by the wall and the abandonment of certain public spaces at specific times.

The research carried out in the last few years has allowed for the archaeological identification of a circus of extraordinary dimensions within the city. This is a crucial fact because it implies the repurposing of an important percentage of urban land for public use. It enables us to propose some reflections and interpretations regarding the use of public and private spaces in Carteia, which, together with the characterisation of its private architecture and its complementarity with public architecture, is one of our main research lines.

The architectural reality of an early Roman city such as this one, sat over the preexistent Punic city, allows us to reflect on the urban design and the occupation of city spaces throughout the various chronological periods during Antiquity. This is achieved through the new interpretations and contributions presented here, which attempt to answer questions such as: Does anyone live in Carteia? Inside or outside the city walls? Who lives there? In addition, this proposal will analyse Carteia's public and private spaces comparing them with those of other cities in the area, a crucial matter to historically characterise a space as unique as that of the fretum Gaditanum.