Lecture 2 - Hispania: Roman Spain (3rd c. BCE - 4 c. BCE)

Question 1

Why did the Romans invade the Iberian Peninsula?

Answer 1

Strategic location
Resources
The Eastern section of the Peninsula already was part of the Mediterranean World

Question 2

Was it a quick process fo the romans to invade the I.P

Answer 2

A Slow, but Continuous Affair: The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans took over 200 years (Julius Cesar’s conquest of Gaul took a decade)

Question 3

The process of romans invading the I.P was made difficult due to what

Answer 3

the expansion of Rome into other areas of the Ancient world,
the geography of the Iberian Peninsula,
the political and cultural fragmentation of population, and
the fierce resistance of some societies (especially the Celtiberians –some of which were not fully Romanized)

Question 4

KEY: The success of the Roman conquest will mean that the main cultural influence in the Iberian Peninsula would be what

Answer 4

not be Celtic (as in other parts of Northern Europe) or “Iberian” (Eastern Mediterranean/North African), but Roman

Question 5

who put up the biggest resistance against the Romans

Answer 5

Celtiberian town of Numantia (134 BC)

Question 6

The city of Numantia was where

Answer 6

located about 7 km north of the Spanish city of Soria

Question 7

The final siege of Numantia began in the year what

Answer 7

134 BC

Question 8

what drastic measures did the people of numantia do to avoid being slaves

Answer 8

After eight months most of the inhabitants decided to commit suicide rather than become slaves.

Question 9

what is the expression “Numantine defense”

Answer 9

The expression (a “Numantine defense” still widely used today in Spanish

when they gave up their lives instead of being slaves

Question 10

KEY: The Roman conquest allowed for the creation of a what

Answer 10

unified political entity in the Iberian Peninsula for the first time in history

Question 11

even though the roman conquest allowed for the creation of a unified political entity in the Iberian Peninsula for the first time in history , was it all even?

Answer 11

romanization was uneven and some tribes in the North resisted Roman authority

Question 12

what was the Political division under the roman rule

Answer 12

This political entity was first divided into two provinces (Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior) – After the conquest was complete it was divided into 3-4 provinces (depending on the historical moment): Hispania Lusitania; Hispania Baetica; and Hispania Terraconensis

Question 13

what was Key for the Roman control of the territory

Answer 13

Roads: development was the creation of a network of roads linking the main towns of the Iberian Peninsula

Question 14

This network of ROADS and BRIDGES also linked the Peninsula to what

Answer 14

the rest of the Roman Empire

Question 15

The Iberian Peninsula was linked to the rest of the Mediterranean world through what

Answer 15

Roman Ports, 4 of them

Question 16

what were the 4 roman ports

Answer 16

Tarraco (Tarragona), Valentia (Valencia), Nova Carthago (Cartagena), and Gades (Cádiz)

Question 17

how did the romans build urban centres

Answer 17

The Romans built upon pre-existing urban centers, but they created many new ones

Question 18

New urban centers were often designed according to what

Answer 18

geometric/rectangular designs (Example, Baelo Claudia near Cádiz)

Question 19

This urban plan the romans had will be abandoned after what

Answer 19

the Fall of the Roman empire (more about this in our next class)

Question 20

does the urban centres/designs show up again even after the fall of the roman empire

Answer 20

Spanish urban planners will retake it during the Renaissance, and it will strongly influence the design of new cities in the New World

Question 21

The growth of cities during the Roman occupation of the Iberian Peninsula was in part a result of what

Answer 21

urban engineering

Question 22

A key element of urban engeneering in Roman towns was what

Answer 22

the management of water

Question 23

The most dramatic example (of civil/urban engineering) in the Iberian Peninsula is what

Answer 23

the Roman Aqueduct of Segovia (barely 45 min from Madrid by train) .It was constructed in the 1st Century AD

Question 24

The aqueduct once transported water from where

Answer 24

theRio Frioriver, situated in mountains 17km (11mi) from the city in theLa Acebedaregion. It runs 15km (9.3mi) before arriving in the city.

Question 25

The construction of the aqueduct follows the principles laid out by who

Answer 25

Vitruviusin hisDe Architecturapublished in the mid-first century.

Question 26

what are the key changes to culture during all this

Answer 26

the demise of Celtiberian and Iberian languages
art and design
lit., theatre and philosophy
law

Question 27

explain The demise of Celtiberian and Iberian languages.. what language survived?

Answer 27

of the languages present in the Iberian Peninsula before the Roman invasion only Basque is going to survive – all the other languages present today in the Iberian Peninsula descend directly from Latin

Question 28

explain how art and design changed during this time

Answer 28

Influence of geometric elements, realism, truthfulness - Roman architecture would leave an important heritage in Spain: from religious temples to civil buildings

Question 29

explain how Literature, theatre and Philosophy become important during this time

Answer 29

Importance of Roman literature and theatre – Connection with the classical world - Reception of Greek and Hellenist philosophy – The case of Seneca and stoicism

Question 30

why was law important during this time

Answer 30

Law: Roman Law became the law of the land until the invasion of the Visigoths – it created a unified set of rules for the entire territory

Question 31

What do we know about Pre-Roman religion in the Iberian Peninsula?

Answer 31

Lack of written records
Multiple religions influenced by different cultural sources (Celt, Eastern Mediterranean)
Polytheism – Sun, lunar, water cults
Animal worship (for instance, bulls)
Libations/offers as a common ritual structure
A structured sacerdotal caste seems to have existed among the Iberos (Eastern Mediterranean), but far less developed among the Celts (Example, Bulls of Guisando, Ávila)

Question 32

How was Roman religion?

Answer 32

Also polytheistic
More a set of rituals than beliefs
Gifts and offers as key elements of religious life (not individual behavior/conscience – behavior/conscience was left to Philosophy)
Allowed itself to be influenced by other religions (most notably Greek) - This flexibility allowed for the transfer to Roman religious customs and the adaption of local cults to Roman ones
Importance of the Imperial Cult (worship of public leaders)

Question 33

did the romans try and force their religion upon the people they ruled

Answer 33

no, the wars were political not religious
however people still had to recognize the roman religion and absorb it if they wanted to become citizen and get good benefits

Question 34

what was the second religious revolution involving

Answer 34

christianity

Question 35

what was the Arrival of Christianity to the Iberian Peninsula

Answer 35

St Paul intended to visit Hispania(Epistle to the Romans, XV, 24 and 28), but there is no evidence that he made the trip.
According to legend the apostle James –at Christ’s urging–carried the gospel to the country in 40 CE.
Foundation story of Santiago de Compostela and the beginning of the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James) in Northern Spain

Question 36

were the Christians persecuted b the romans

Answer 36

they were tolerated then persecuted

Question 37

how did the christians go from being tolerated to persecuted

Answer 37

Probably were already established in the peninsula by the second century –
Persecution by the Romans was at first sporadic (polytheistic tradition of the Romans made them fairly tolerant) –
The insistence of the Christians on serving one omnipotent God undermined the divine status that the Emperors –beginning with Augustus (63 BC–14 AD)– had taken upon themselves (example Martyrdom of Eulalia of Merida and Santa Eulalia of Barcelona, 290-304 AD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xga5Qzq9_tA

Question 38

how did christianity become a state religion

Answer 38

In 312, the emperor Constantine I (ruled 307-337) converted to Christianity
In 380, the Spanish-born emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the religion of the Empire
Most Christianized Romans in Hispania recognize the authority of the Bishop of Rome
Persecution of Pagans, Jews, and “heretic” Christians from the 5th Century onwards

Question 39

who converted to christianity first (emperor)

Answer 39

In 312, the emperor Constantine

Question 40

who declared Christianity the religion of the Empire

Answer 40

In 380, the Spanish-born emperor Theodosius

Question 41

when did Persecution of Pagans, Jews, and “heretic” Christians start

Answer 41

from the 5th Century onwards

Question 42

what is the single most important cultural event in this geographic area (the I.P) of the last 3000 years

Answer 42

The Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula

It changed everything

Question 43

did any culture present before the romans continue to exist

Answer 43

Some culture traits of the peoples and cultures present before the Romanization continued to exist (especially in the North), but even them were heavily influenced by the Roman presence

Question 44

what was Pax Romana

Answer 44

The long period of stability known as the “Pax Romana” was particularly acute in Hispania after the 1st Century CE

Question 45

when was the Roman military presence in Hispania was a fraction

Answer 45

By the 4 AD, Roman military presence in Hispania was a fraction of what had been in previous centuries

Question 46

The political, military, and economic crises of Rome were felt where

Answer 46

Hispania, but less than in the Northern frontier of the Roman empire

Question 47

as the Western Roman empire crumbled, Hispania did what to try and stay afloat

Answer 47

became heavily taxed to try to keep it afloat

Question 48

what would lead to the end of Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula

Answer 48

Hispania became heavily taxed to try to keep it afloat – This fact together with the lack of a sizable military force able to withstand the advance of the Gothic tribes would lead to the end of Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula