Basics on Hispania > Details on Hispania
Hispania is the Latin name for the Iberian Peninsula. The name Iberian comes from the Iberus (Ebro) river. It was also known as Celtica. Celts migrated across the Pyrenees into Hispania in the ninth and seventh centuries B.C. Their mingling with the earlier inhabitants, the Iberians, produced the Celtiberians. Early inhabitants also included Greeks and Phoenicians.
Hispania Comes Within Rome's Purview
Gades or Cadiz may be the oldest city of western Europe if it was really founded by merchants from Tyre in 1100 B.C. It was an important colony for the Phoenicians, predating Carthage.
The area came into conflict with the Romans during the Punic Wars, at which time Hispania was supplying soldiers for the Carthaginians who had probably been drawn to the area for its mineral resources. Hispania became the base for the Carthaginians, which led the Romans to retaliate. During the second Punic War, Scipio Africanus led forces into Spain. At the end of the war, Rome stayed and created two provinces in 197, the first outside Italy. The people of Hispania did not welcome the Roman conquest and conflicts between the Celtiberians and Romans lasted until 19 B.C. Wars included 11 years fighting the Lusitanian Viriathus (150-139 B.C), a war against the Celtiberians of Numantia (143-133), and a war against Sertorius (82-72).
Changing Provinces of Hispania
When Spain first came under Roman control, it was divided into Hispania Citerior in the East, with a capital at Tarragona, and Hispania Ulterior (Andalusia) in the West, with a capital at Cordoba. Under Augustus, Hispania Ulterior was divided into the southerly Baetica and Lusitania (most of modern Portugal); Hispania Citerior was named Hispania Taracconensis. In A.D. 293, Emperor Diocletian further divided the provinces. From Hispania Citerior two new provinces, Hispania Carthaginensis and Gallaecia were created.
Germans in Hispania
In the early fifth century A.D., the Visigoths pushed the Germanic tribes of the Vandals and Suevi into Hispania. The Vandals settled in Andalusia, the Suevi in the northwestern corner of the peninsula. After Galla Placidia had been married to Athaulf, a Visigoth king, her brother, Emperor Honorius (r. 395-423) sent the couple to Hispania to rule it. The Visigoths then forced the Vandals out, leading them to invade north Africa.
Commercial Resources
Products of interest to the Romans that Hispania supplied included silver mined from the mountains, gold, copper, tin, wine, olive oil, wheat, precious stones, cinnabar, quicksilver, and rock salt.
Famous Men From Hispania
Latin writers from Hispania include Quintilian, Columella, Lucan, Martial, Seneca, Prudentius, and Orosius. Emperors include Trajan and Theodosius I.
References:
- An Ancient Geography, Classical and Sacred, by Samuel Augustus Mitchell
- A Companion to Ancient History, by Andrew Erskine
- Library of Congress Country Studies: Spain
