Describes the influence of the Roman Empire on Spain, and looks at society, industry, trade, architecture, and religion in Spain during Rome's rule

This book traces the complex process by which an area, seen initially as a war-zone, was gradually transformed by the actions of the Romans and the reactions of the indigenous inhabitants into an integral part of the Roman world.

*Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Spain's geographical position has made it a focus of attention throughout history for numerous migrants, traders, colonizers, and conquerors alike. Iberia, also known as Hispaniola or Hispania, is in the southwestern corner of Europe and is separated from Africa by a mere eight miles, the point at which the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. The whole of the Iberian Peninsula, which today incorporates the modern nation states of Spain and Portugal, was known to the Romans and Greeks as Hispania. Over the centuries, before Roman involvement in the Iberian Peninsula, it had been settled by different waves of eastern tribes: Celts, Phoenicians, Greeks, Africans, and Carthaginians. It was the settlement in the south of Spain by the last of these that led to Roman interest in the area, and ultimately to its conquest and integration into the Roman Empire, though the complete process was to take over 200 years. Once the Carthaginian territories had been taken, those parts of Hispania became the two provinces of Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior, which in turn were later subdivided into further provinces. They became some of the wealthiest and most Romanized of the empire's provinces, but the process by which the whole of Spain came under Roman rule was both violent and complex. Given that the Iberian Peninsula is Europe's second largest peninsula, maintaining control required vigorous efforts, including Roman-sponsored migrations by the Sueves, Alani, Vandals, Visigoths, and other tribes. For example, the Visigoths first set foot on the peninsula in the year 416, where they were tasked with forcefully re-instituting Roman authority upon other Germanic invaders who had occupied the land. Initially, the Visigoths followed instructions to a tee, but as time progressed, it appeared that there may have been reason to have been suspicious of the Visigoths after all. In 418, they were relocated to France, where they established a makeshift kingdom of their own in Toulouse. When they inevitably wizened up to their employer's increasingly fragile authority, they realized it would not take much to squeeze the disintegrating empire out of the picture. The ramifications of 600 years of Roman rule had significant consequences for the rest of the ancient world, and it had a profound impact on subsequent European history. In fact, it can be argued that those consequences are still being felt in Spain today, in terms of language, culture and political complications. Roman Hispania: The History of Ancient Rome's Conquest of Spain and the Iberian Peninsula looks at the history of relations between the two ancient empires. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Roman Hispania like never before.

This groundbreaking history of Spain in late antiquity sheds new light on the fall of the western Roman empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. Historian Michael Kulikowski draws on the most recent archeological and literary evidence in this fresh an enlightening account of the Iberian Peninsula from A.D. 300 to 600. In so doing, he provides a definitive narrative that integrates late antique Spain into the broader history of the Roman empire. Kulikowski begins with a concise introduction to the early history of Roman Spain, and then turns to the Diocletianic reforms of 293 and their long-term implications for Roman administration and the political ambitions of post-Roman contenders. He goes on to examine the settlement of barbarian peoples in Spain, the end of Roman rule, and the imposition of Gothic power in the fifth and sixth centuries. In parallel to this narrative account, Kulikowski offers a wide-ranging thematic history, focusing on political power, Christianity, and urbanism. Kulikowski’s portrait of late Roman Spain offers some surprising conclusions, finding that the physical and social world of the Roman city continued well into the sixth century despite the decline of Roman power. Winner of an Honorable Mention in the Association of American Publishers’ Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards in Classics and Archeology

This book traces the beginnings and the first 140 years of the Roman presence in Spain, showing how what began as a purely military commitment developed in addition into a range of civilian activities including taxation, jurisdiction and the founding of both Roman and native settlements. The author uses literary sources, the results of recent and earlier archaeology, numismatics, and epigraphic material to reveal the way in which patterns of administration were created, especially under the direction of the military commanders sent from Rome to the two Spanish provinciae. This is of major importance for understanding the way in which Roman power spread during this period, not only in Spain, but throughout the Mediterranean world.