 It is part of the name that the city received after its foundation by the emperor Augustus in 25 BC, Augusta Emerita, colony in which veteran soldiers or emeritus settled.Mérida has been populated since prehistoric times as demonstrated by a prestigious hoard of gold jewellery that was excavated from a girl's grave in 1870.Consisting of two penannular bracelets, an armlet and a chain of six spiral wire rings, it is now preserved at the British Museum.