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| Emperor Trajan was born in Italica. |
As part of the Roman struggle against Carthage,
they invaded the Iberian peninsula in 206 BC. Scipio Africanus was
victorious at Alcalá del Rio near present day Seville and founded
the city Italica and his army crushed the resistance of the native
Iberians and soon transformed Andalucia into one of Rome's richest
and best organised colonies. Cadiz became Roman in 200 BC. They
Romans remained remained for 700 years.
Rome divided Spain into two. Hispania Citerior
was to them Nearer Spain (the East) and Hispania Ulterior (Further
Spain) the South and West.
Roman galleys sailed up the river Baetis as far
as Cordoba, where they took on board amphorae of olive oil and wine
for exportation to Rome.
Julius Ceasar was promoted to Governor of Hispania
Ulterior (Spain) in BC 61.
Seneca the elder was born in Cordubu in BC 55 and
in AD65 his son Seneca the younger
committed suicide after plotting against Emperor Nero.
In AD27 the Emperor Augustus renamed much of Ulterior
- 'Baetica'. The name was taken from the River Baetis (now Guadalquivir)
provinces. This region corresponded to roughly what is now Andalucia.
Corduba was the capital.
In AD 69 the Emperor Vispasian who was born at
Italica granted Roman status to all the towns in Hispania.
Trajan who was born at Italica is ruled as Emperor
of Rome from 98 to 117 AD.
Things started to change with the spread of Christianity
from the first to the forth century. St.Paul had identified Spain
as a target for conversion in his Episple to the Romans. He toured
Spain in AD 62.
The Spanish Bishops held their first open Council
at Elvira in AD 300. The Emperor Diocletian instituted their last
ruthless persecution in AD 303. As Spain became a Christian country,
and the Spanish language - perhaps the closest modern tongue to
Latin - began to take its current shape.
The expanding Mongal population was pressurising
the tribes on the Russian Steppes, and they in turn pushed the Vandals,
the Visigoths and the Franks further to the boundary of the Roman
Empire on the Rhine. In AD 410 the Roman frontier was breached.
In AD415 the first Germanic wave comprised of three
tribes: the Suevi, the Alani and the Vandals. Behind them the Visigoths
invaded and dislodged the others. They complete the conquest of
Spain by AD 476.
Where to see Roman Artifacts in Andalucia
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