Iluro

Iluro is the ancient Roman name for the coastal settlement that is today the city of Mataró, in the Maresme region of Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Barcelona, along the coast that now forms part of the Maresme corridor. The site shows evidence of habitation dating to the Iberian period and developed under Roman rule as a port and commercial center, known in Latin sources as Iluro. Excavations near the harbor have yielded artifacts such as amphorae and inscriptions that indicate active trade across the western Mediterranean.

In late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, Iluro declined as urban life waned, but the settlement persisted as a coastal village and fishing port. Through the medieval period, the area formed part of feudal and ecclesiastical networks, with gradual growth that laid groundwork for a regional town serving the surrounding countryside. In the early modern era, the locality continued to develop as a coastal community integrated with the broader Catalan economy.

The modern city of Mataró grew from this continuity and became a center of textile production during the 19th century, a period marked by industrialization and infrastructural development, including improvements to the waterfront and early railway connections linking the town with Barcelona. Today, the name Iluro remains of historical and archaeological interest, while Mataró serves as the capital of the Maresme comarca, reflecting its long coastal heritage and contemporary urban role.