SAGUNTUM, an ancient city of Hispania Tarraconensis, was situated near the mouth of the river Pallantias (Palancia). It was the centre of a fertile district and was a rich trading place in early times, but owes its celebrity to the desperate resistance it made to Hannibal (see vol. xi. p. 441). The Romans restored the city and made it a colony; later writers speak of its figs, which were esteemed at Rome, and of its earthenware, which enjoyed a certain reputation. The most important remains are those of the theatre.

The modern Sagunto or Murviedro (muri veteres), 18 miles by rail from Valencia on the line to Tarragona, is now about 3 miles from the sea ; the population within the municipal boundaries was 6287 in 1877.