Palm tree blooming at the Forum in the Sant Martí district

The name Barcino ,formalized around the end of the reign of Caesar Augustus (AD 14), was a shortened version of the name which had been official up until then, Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino (also Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino) and Colonia Faventia – as a colonia, it was established to distribute land among retired soldiers – the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela refers to Barcino as one of a number of small settlements near Tarraco, a town wealthy in maritime resources; however, Barcino's strategic position on a branch of the Via Augusta allowed its commercial and economic development, and it enjoyed immunity from imperial taxation