The excavations of Sant Martí d ' Empúries are located close to the fishing port L ' Escala. Founded around 600 BC Greek colonists from Phocaea in Asia minor or from the Phocaëische colony Massilia (Marseille) the settlement Emporion, on an island in the South of the Gulf of Rosas (Roses) that now by silting up is connected to the Mainland. This first trading post is referred to by the archaeologists ' Palaiapolis ' (old town) and is now under the medieval village of Sant Martí d ' Empúries.
By the end of the 5th century BC was further South, on the Mainland, a new city (Neapolis) founded. Remains are excavated.
After the Greeks came the Romans. After Scipio in 218 BC had landed here to protect the threatened invasion of Italy to Carthage, the town remained as Emporiae in Roman hands. In a strategic position between the two existing settlements in a port was constructed that during the Punic Wars in the 3rd and 2nd century served as the basis for the Roman war fleet. From Ampurias brought Cato in 195 b.c. the Iberian tribes under Roman rule. Under Caesar came into existence about 49 b.c. West of Neapolis a Roman town with the characteristic regular street pattern. With its area of 300 x 700 m this was ten times the size of the Greek settlement; the population consisted of Veterans of the Roman civil wars.
