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Historical records

The first indications to identify the Roman city of Sanisera in the port of Sanitja can be found in Minorcan maps, more specifically in a map of Hispania drawn by Abraham Ortelius and dated in 1590, in which the three Roman cities in Minorca can be seen: Iamo (Ciutadella), Mago (Maó), and Sanisera (Sanitja).

The toponimical name of Sanisera changed and was modified for different reasons from the moment of the city foundation to the present time, evolving finally in the word Sanitja.

Sanitja port appears in the maps in different ways: Zenage, Porto Senello, Seneua, Seneli, Sa Nitja, Senige, Senitja, Seniya, Seniglles, Senigta, Cenegta, Senoli, Seniga, Seneli, Leneli, Cenega, Senege, Sauia, Sonige, Ceneglia, Zenega, Ianisera, Zenhaga, Zenega, ...

From the 18th century to the present time, several scholars and local researchers have identified the Roman city of Sanisera with the port of Sanitja, mainly due to the occasional find of items and artefacts, to the similarities in the terms Sanisera-Sanitja, and to the existence of a legend known as “sa llegenda de Ses Vilotes”, that mentions the Roman remains.

In 1974, with the introduction of underwater sports, some fragments of Roman amphoras were recovered from the port of Sanitja. The divers from the local Nautic Clubs gave these fragments to the Museum of Minorca.

Between 1979 and 1984 a series of prospections and excavations were made, providing a chronology for the city starting in the conquest time (123 B.C.) and with its decline in the 6th century A.D.

With these excavations it was concluded that the moment of splendour of this farming and industrial centre happened between the years 100 A.D. and 150 A.D.