Spanish History and Culture

Ancient History

17th February – 4th March

Elena Sol Jiménez
 The romanisation: the IP
under the Roman Empire
1. Hispania in the High Roman Empire (1st-2nd centuries AD)
2. Hispania in the Low Roman Empire (3rd-5th centuries AD)
Religion in Hispania
• Pre-Roman religions almost completely lost:
• Lack of iconographic representation of the divine
• Lack of interest of Roman witers

• Diversity of populations, languages, cultures… and religious

traditions
• Similarities with Celtic religions of Gaul and Britannia

• Influence from phoenicians: Astarte, Melqart…

 Leaders?
Mithological
representations? Cattle economy?

Toros de Guisando
Bicha de Balazote (Ávila)
Dama de Baza
(Albacete) 4th-1st cent. BC
(Granada)
4th cent. BC
4th cent. BC
Pozo Moro (Albacete)
4th cent. BC
 Pozo Moro
(Albacete)
4th cent. BC
Ulaca (Ávila) 7th-2nd century BC

Altar of sacrifices Sauna

Religion in Hispania

• “Epigraphic culture”: latin inscriptions about native religion?

• High, already “romanized” classes

• Roman influence and assimilation

• Roman-Celtic remainings
• Polytheistic Roman religion + native religions = syncretism
Roman religion
• Polytheistic and ritualistic
• Domestic cult: lares, penates, manes…

• Public cult → prosperity of the Roman

state (political function)
• Multifunction of gods
• Calendar of festivities → politics
• College of priests: potifices, flamines…
Imperial cult

• Semi-divine features taken by the emperors

→ deified after their death
• Worshiped in imperial temples
• Propagandistic use of the figure of the emperor:
intangible, powerful, above the rest of humans
• Statues in every province
 SCEPTRE
(staff of command)

Emperor Augustus as Jupiter (first half of 1st century AD) “The Jupiter Verospi”. Musei Vaticani
 CORNUCOPIA
(horn of plenty)

Fortuna, the Roman Goddess of Chance,

Livia, Augustus' wife. Luck and Fate. Musei Vaticani.
Hispania in Roman politics
• Local oligarchies tryed to enter into the Senatorial class
• Process of integration of local, provincial elites:
• Italian origin (colonies)
• Native origin (municipia)
• Allowed the presence of provinciales in Roman institutions

• Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD) political changes:

• Equites could have access to the senatorial career
• Provinces could enter the ius honorum
Hispania in Roman politics
• Seneca theYounger (4 BC-65 AD) stoic philosopher, born in Corduba
• Tutor of emperor Nero during the first years
• Emperor Vespasian (69-79 AD) → senators from Hispania
• Marco Ulpio Trajan (father)

• After Domician’s assasination, Nerva is elected (old senator without

descendants)
• Adoption of Marco Ulpio Trajan (son)
Antonine dynasty

• “Golden age” of the Roman Empire (2nd century)

• Succession based on capacities, not kinship
• Lack of direct offspring of every emperor except Marcus Aurelius
• Moment of maximum expansion of the Empire (Trajan)
• Internal political stability
• Expansion of oriental cults (Mitraism, Christianism, Cibeles…)
Trajan (98-117 AD)
• Family origin in Italica (Baetica)
• Administration of the empire: provincial
procuratores
• Active epistolar correspondence with provinces:
Plinius theYoung, governor of Bitinia

• Promotion through war and conquer

Trajan (98-117 AD)