Chap. 4.

Chap. 4. (3.)—Of Nearer Spain.

The ancient form of the Nearer Spain, like that of many other provinces, is somewhat changed, since the time when Pompey the Great, upon the trophies which he erected in the Pyrenees, testified that 877 towns, from the Alps to the borders of the Farther Spain, had been reduced to subjection by him. The whole province is now divided into seven jurisdictions, those of Carthage [Nova Carthago or New Carthage, now Carthagena.], of Tarraco, of Cæsar Augusta [Now Zaragoza or Saragossa, on the right bank of the river Ebro. Its original name was Salduba, but it was changed in honour of Augustus, who colonized it after the Cantabrian war, B.C. 25.], of Clunia [This was the most remote place of any consideration in Celtiberia, on the west. Its ruins are still to be seen on the summit of a hill surrounded with rocks, forming a natural wall between Corunna del Conde and Pennalda de Castro.], of Asturica [This was Asturica Augusta, the chief city of the nation of the Astures, and situate on one of the tributaries of the Astura, now Esta. On its site is situate the present Astorga: its ruins are very extensive.], of Lucus [Now Lugo.], and of the Bracari [Or Bracara Augusta, now Braga. Among the ruins of the ancient city there are the remains of an aqueduct and amphitheatre.]. To these are to be added the islands, which will be described on another occasion, as also 293 states which are dependent on others; besides which the province contains 179 towns. Of these, twelve are colonies, thirteen, towns with the rights of Roman citizens, eighteen with the old Latian rights, one confederate, and 135 tributary.

The first people that we come to on the coast are the Bastuli; after whom, proceeding according to the order which I shall follow, as we go inland, there are the Mentesani, the Oretani, and the Carpetani on the Tagus, and next to them the Vaccæi, the Vectones, and the Celtiberian Arevaci. The towns nearest to the coast are Urci, and Barea [Probably the present town of Vera near Muxacra.] included in Bætica, the district of Mavitania, next to it Deitania, and then Contestania, and the colony of Carthago Nova; from the Promontory of which, known as the Promontorium Saturni [The “Promontory of Saturn,” now Cabo de Palos.], to the city of Cæsarea [D’Anville takes this place to be the port of Vacur; if so, the distance from Cape Palos is exactly 170 miles.] in Mauritania, the passage is a distance of 187 miles. The remaining objects worthy of mention on the coast are the river Tader [Now Segura.], and the free colony of Ilici [The modern town of Elche was probably built from the ruins of this place.], whence the Ilicitanian Gulf [Now called the Gulf of Alicant.] derives its name; to this colony the Icositani are subordinate.

We next have Lucentum [With the Arabian El prefixed, this has formed the name of the famous port of Alicant.], holding Latian rights; Dianium [Now Denia, a thriving town.], a tributary town; the river Sucro [Now called the Xucar.], and in former times a town of the same name, forming the frontier of Contestania. Next is the district of Edetania, with the delightful expanse of a lake [Now called Albufera.] before it, and extending backward to Celtiberia. Valentia [The present city of Valencia.], a colony, is situate three miles from the sea, after which comes the river Turium [Or Turia, now the Guadalaviar.], and Saguntum [Or Saguntus, famed for the fidelity of its inhabitants to the Roman cause: after a siege of nine months, rather than submit to the Carthaginians under Hannibal, they set fire to their town and perished in the flames, B.C. 219. It was rebuilt eight years afterwards and made a Roman colony. The ruins of the ancient town, which was said to have been originally founded by Greeks from Zacynthus, are still to be seen, and the ancient walls (muri veteres) give name to the present Murviedro, which is built on its site.] at the same distance, a town of Roman citizens famous for its fidelity, the river Uduba [Now the Murviedro, which flows past the city of that name and the town of Segorbe.], and the district of the Ilergaones [Dertosa, the present Tortosa, is supposed to have been inhabited by them.]. The Iberus [Now the Ebro.], a river enriched by its commerce, takes its rise in the country of the Cantabri, not far from the town of Juliobriga [Hardouin places this on the site of the modern Fuente de Ivero. The Ebro takes its rise in the Val de Vieso.], and flows a distance of 450 miles; 260 of which, from the town of Varia [According to D’Anville, the present Logrono. At present the Ebro only becomes navigable at Tudela, 216 miles from the sea. Other writers, however, take Varia to be the present Valtierra, near Tudela.] namely, it is available for the purposes of navigation. From this river the name of Iberia has been given by the Greeks to the whole of Spain.

Next comes the district of Cossetania, the river Subi [Or the Subur, now the Francoli. It flows into the sea at the port of Tarraco, now Tarragona.], and the colony of Tarraco, which was built by the Scipios as Carthage [The more ancient commentators think that Carthago Vetus, or the colony of Old Carthage (now Carta la Vieja), is here alluded to, but more probably it is Carthago Nova that is meant.] was by the Carthaginians. Then the district of the Ilergetes, the town of Subur [On the Subi, previously mentioned; now called Villa Nova.], and the river Rubricatum [Now the Llobregat.], beyond which begin the Laletani and the Indigetes [Their territory was situate around the present Gulf of Ampurias.]. Behind these, in the order in which they will be mentioned, going back from the foot of the Pyrenees, are the Ausetani [Their chief cities were Gerunda, the present Gerona, and Ausa or Vicus Ausæ, now Vic d’Osona.], the Lacetani [In the country beyond Gerona.], and along the Pyrenees, the Cerretani [Living in the upper valley of the river Sicoris or Segre, which still retains, from them, the name of Cerdague.], next to whom are the Vascones [The people of the modern Navarre and Guipuzcoa.]. On the coast is the colony of Barcino [In the later writers Barcelo, now Barcelona. It was said to have been originally founded by Hercules, and afterwards rebuilt by Hamilcar Barcas, who gave it the name of his family. Its name as a Roman colony was Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino. The modern city stands somewhat to the east of the ancient one.], surnamed Faventia; Bætulo [The modern Badalona, two leagues from Barcelona.] and Iluro [On the sea-shore,—the present Pineda.], towns with Roman citizens; the river Larnum [Now the Tordera.], Blandæ [The modern city of Blanos stands on its site.], the river Alba [Probably the present Ter or Tet.]; Emporiæ [The modern Ampurias. We learn from Strabo that a wall divided the town of the Greeks from that of the old inhabitants. It was the usual landing-place for travellers from Gaul. It was originally colonized by the Phocæans from Massilia or Marseilles.], a city consisting of two parts, one peopled by the original inhabitants, the other by the Greek descendants of the Phocæans; and the river Ticher [Hardouin says that the Ticher or Tichis is the same with the modern Ter, but in such case Pliny would have mentioned it before coming to Emporiæ. Its present name however does not appear to be accurately known.]. From this to the Venus Pyrenæa [A promontory extending from the Pyrenæan chain, on which a temple of Venus was situate. It is now called Cabo de Cruz. The distance mentioned by Pliny is probably too great.], on the other side of the Promontory, is a distance of forty miles.

I shall now proceed to give an account of the more remarkable things in these several jurisdictions, in addition to those which have been already mentioned. Forty-three different peoples are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Tarraco: of these the most famous are—holding the rights of Roman citizens, the Dertusani [The people of the present Tortosa.] and the Bisgargitani; enjoying Latian rights, the Ausetani, and the Cerretani, both Julian and Augustan, the Edetani [Probably not the same people as the Edetani, in whose district Saguntum and Valencia were situate.], the Gerundenses [The people of Gerunda or Gerona.], the Gessorienses [They are nowhere else mentioned. Ukert supposes that their city stood in the district between the Sicoris and Nucaria.], and the Teari [Their city was Tiara Julia.], also called Julienses. Among the tributaries are the Aquicaldenses [The people of Aquæ Calidæ or the ‘Hot Springs,’ called at the present day Caldes, four leagues from the city of Barcelona.], the Onenses, and the Bæculonenses [Ptolemy places Bæcula between Ausa and Gerunda.].

Cæsar Augusta, a free colony, watered by the river Iberus, on the site of the town formerly called Salduba, is situate in the district of Edetania, and is the resort of fifty-five nations. Of these there are, with the rights of Roman citizens, the Bellitani [The people of the present Belchite.], the Celsenses [The people of the present Xelsa, on the Ebro.], a former colony, the Calagurritani [The inhabitants of Calagurris, now Calahorra, a city of the Vascones, on the banks of the Ebro. They remained faithful to Sertorius to the last, and after slaughtering their wives and children and eating their flesh, their city was taken and destroyed; which event put an end to the Sertorian war. It was called “Nassica,” in contradistinction to Calagurris Fibularia, which is afterwards mentioned by Pliny. The latter is mentioned by Cæsar as forming one community with Osca (now Huesca), and was probably the present Loarre, though some writers take the first-named Calagurris to be that place, and the latter one to be the present Calahorra.], surnamed the Nassici, the Ilerdenses [The people of Ilerda, the present Lerida, on the Sicoris or Segre. It is memorable for its siege by Cæsar, when the Pompeian forces under Afranius and Petreius had retired thither. It was a most flourishing city, though in the times of the later Roman emperors it had fallen into decay.], of the nation of the Surdaones, near whom is the river Sicoris, the Oscenses [The people of the present Huesca.] in the district of Vescitania, and the Turiasonenses [The inhabitants of Turiazo, the present Tarazona, five leagues south of Tudela.]. Of those enjoying the rights of the ancient Latins, there are the Cascantenses [The people of Cascantum, the present town of Cascante in Navarre.], the Ergavicenses [The people of Ergavica. Its ruins, at the confluence of the Guadiela and Tagus, are still to be seen, and are called Santaver. By some writers this place is considered to be the same as the modern Fraga, on the river Cinca, five leagues from Lerida.], the Graccuritani [The people of Graccuris. Its former name of Ilurcis was changed in honour of Sempronius Gracchus, who placed new settlers there after the conquest of Celtiberia. It is supposed to be the same as the modern Agreda, four leagues from Tarazona.], the Leonicenses [The people of Leonica, probably the modern Alcaniz, on the river Guadalope, in Arragon.], and the Osicerdenses; of federate states, there are the Tarragenses [The people of Tarraga, the present Tarrega, nine leagues east of Lerida, in Catalonia.]; and of tributaries, the Arcobrigenses [The people of Arcobriga, now Los Arcos, in Navarre, five leagues south of Estella.], the Andologenses [Perhaps the same as the Andosini, a people mentioned by Polybius, B. iii. c. 35, as situate between the Iberus and the Pyrenees. There is a small town of Navarre called Androilla.], the Aracelitani [The people probably of the site now occupied by Huarte Araquil, six leagues to the west of Pampeluna.], the Bursaonenses [Probably the same as the Bursaones of Livy, the Bursavolenses of Hirtius, and the Bursadenses of Ptolemy. Their exact locality is unknown.], the Calagurritani [Mention has been made of Calagurris Fibularensis or Fibulicensis under Calagurris Nassica: see p..], who are also surnamed the Fibularenses, the Complutenses [The people of Complutum, the modern Alcala de Henares, on the river Henares, six leagues to the east of Madrid. It is not quite certain whether it stood on the exact site of Alcala, or on the hill of Zulema, on the other side of the Henares.], the Carenses [The town of Cares, adjoining the more modern one of Puente la Reyna, probably marks their site.], the Cincenses [Probably so called from the river Cinga, the modern Cinca: or they may have given their name thereto.], the Cortonenses, the Damanitani [The people probably of the present Mediana on the Ebro, six leagues below Zaragoza.], the Larnenses [Their town was Larnum, situate on a river of the same name. It was probably the present Torderas, situate on the river of that name.], the Lursenses [Of this people nothing appears to be known. In the old editions the next people mentioned are the “Ispalenses,” but since the time of Hardouin, they have been generally omitted, as wrongly introduced, and as utterly unknown. Spanish coins have however been more recently discovered with the name ‘Sblaie’ or ‘Splaie,’ inscribed in Celtiberian characters, and numismatists are of opinion that they indicate the name of the town of this people, which in Latin would be Ispala. This at all events is the opinion of M. de Sauley.], the Lumberitani [The people of the present town of Lumbier in Navarre, called by its inhabitants Irumberri.], the Lacetani, the Lubienses, the Pompelonenses [The people of the present city of Pampeluna.], and the Segienses.

Sixty-five different nations resort to Carthage [Carthago Nova, or New Carthage.], besides the inhabitants of the islands. Of the Accitanian [The colony of Acci was called Colonia Julia Gemella Accitana. The town of Acci or Accis was on the site of the present Guadix el Viejo, between Granada and Baza. It was colonized by the third and sixth legions under Julius or Augustus, from which it obtained the name of ‘Gemella,’ the origin of which name is previously mentioned, p. 161.] colony, there are the Gemellenses, and the town of Libisosona [The ruins of this place are supposed to be those seen at Lebazuza or Lezuza, not far from the city of Cuença.], surnamed Foroaugustana, to both of which have been granted Italian [The “jus Italicum” or “Italiæ,” “Italian rights” or “privileges,” differed from the “jus Latinum.” It was granted to provincial towns which were especially favoured by the magistracy of Rome, and consisted of exemption from taxes, a municipal constitution, after the manner of the Italian towns, and many other rights and exemptions.] rights. Of the colony of Salaria [According to Hardouin, the people of the town formerly called Saliotis, now Cazorla. They are called “Cæsari venales,” from the circumstance of their territory having been purchased by Cæsar.—Castulo or Cazlona has been previously mentioned.], there are the people of the following towns, enjoying the rights of ancient Latium: the Castulonenses, also called the Cæsari Venales, the Sætabitani [The people of Sætabis, now Xativa in Valencia. This town was famous for its manufacture of fine table-napkins, to which reference is made by Pliny at the beginning of his Introduction addressed to Titus, in his quotation from the lament of Catullus on the loss of his table-napkins which his friends had filched from him. See p. 1 of the present volume.] or Augustani, and the Valerienses [According to some writers, the present Cuença was the ancient Valeria; but perhaps it was situate at the present village of Valera la Vieja, or Old Valeria, eight leagues south of Cuença.]. The best known among the tributaries are the Alabanenses [The people of Alaba, not far from the present town of Ergavica.], the Bastitani [They were so called from their town of Basti, now Baza, on the river Guadalentin in Granada.], the Consaburrenses [Their town was probably the present Consuegra, twelve leagues from the city of Toledo.], the Dianenses [So called from the promontory Dianium or Artemisium, named from a temple of Diana there situate, and having in its vicinity a town of the same name. The present town of Denia still retains nearly the original name. Its lake, now called Albufera de Valencia, has been previously mentioned, p. 166.], the Egelestani [The modern Yniesta marks the site of their town.], the Ilorcitani [The people probably of Eliocroca, now Lorca, on the high road, from Carthago Nova to Castulo.], the Laminitani, the Mentesani [There were two places of the name of Mentesa, one in the district of the Oritani, and the other in that of the Bastitani or Bastuli.], both those called Oritani and those called Bastuli, and the Oretani who are surnamed Germani [Ptolemy, B. ii., mentions a city of this nation, called ‘Oretum Germanorum.’ It has been supposed that it was the present Calatrava, five leagues from Ciudad Real.], the people of Segobriga [Supposed to be in the vicinity of the present Calatajud.] the capital of Celtiberia, those of Toletum [The present Toledo.] the capital of Carpetania, situate on the river Tagus, and after them the Viatienses and the Virgilienses [Their town is supposed to have stood on the site of the present Murcia.].

To the jurisdiction of Clunia [Now Coruña del Conde.] the Varduli contribute fourteen nations, of whom we need only particularize the Albanenses [The people of the present Alava on the Ebro.—A small town there still bears the name of Alvana.], the Turmodigi [This nation is not mentioned elsewhere. Possibly they are the Murbogi, mentioned by Ptolemy.], consisting of four tribes, among which are the Segisamonenses [Their town Segisamon was either the present Veyzama in Guipuzcoa, or, more probably, Sasamon, eight leagues north-west of Burgos.] and the Segisamaiulienses. To the same jurisdiction belong the Carietes [The people of Carissa, on the site of the present Carixa near Seville.] and the Vennenses with five states, among which are the Velienses. Thither too resort the Pelendones of the Celtiberians, in four different nations, among whom the Numantini [Strabo assigns the Numantini to the Arevacæ, and not the Pelendones. The ruins of the city of Numantia were still to be seen at Puente Garray near the city of Soria, in Hardouin’s time, the 17th century.] were especially famous. Also, among the eighteen states of the Vaccæi, there are the Intercatienses [D’Anville places their city, Intercatia, at the place called Villa nueva de Azuague, forty miles from the present Astorga; others again make it to have been sixty miles from that place.], the Pallantini [Their town was on the site of the modern city of Palencia, on the river Carion.], the Lacobrigenses, and the Caucenses [The people of Cauca, the present Coca, situate between Segovia and Valladolid, on the river Eresma.]. But among the seven peoples belonging to the Cantabri, Juliobriga [This was the chief city of the Cantabri. It has been already mentioned, but we may add that it stood near the sources of the Ebro, on the eminence of Retortillo, south of Reynosa. Five stones still mark the boundaries which divided the territory from that of the Fourth Legio.] is the only place worthy of mention; and of the ten states of the Autrigones, Tritium and Virovesca [Supposed to be the present Briviesca; the site of Tritium does not appear to be known, but it has been suggested that it was near Najara, in the vicinity of Logrono.]. The river Areva [It does not appear to be certain whether the Areva was the present Ucero, or the Arlanzon, which flows near Valladolid.] gives its name to the Arevaci; of whom there are six towns, Segontia [The modern Siguenza.] and Uxama [Now El Burgo d’Osma, in the province of Soria.], names which are frequently given to other places, as also Segovia [This must not be mistaken for the modern Segovia, between Madrid and Valladolid: it was a small town in the vicinity of Numantia.] and Nova Augusta, Termes [Probably the present Lerma, on the river Arlanza.], and Clunia itself, the frontier of Celtiberia. The remaining portion turns off towards the ocean, being occupied by the Varduli, already mentioned, and the Cantabri.

Next upon these touch the twenty-two nations of the Astures, who are divided into the Augustani [The people of Asturica Augusta, now Astorga, in the province of Leon. The ruins of this fine city are said still to give a perfect idea of a fortified Roman town.] and the Transmontani, with the magnificent city of Asturica. Among these we have the Cigurri [Their chief city stood on the site of the present Cigarrosa, or San Estevan de Val de Orres. Its ruins are still to be seen, and a Roman bridge, the people preserving a tradition that an old town once stood there called Guigurra.], the Pæsici, the Lancienses [The people of Lance or Lancia, probably the present Lollanco or Mansilla; though Oviedo has been suggested. This however may be the Ovetum mentioned by Pliny in B. xxxiv. c. 17.], and the Zoëlæ [Mentioned by Pliny in B. xix. c. 2, as famous for their flax. Their locality near the coast does not appear to be exactly known. The Pæsici previously mentioned were situate on the peninsula of Cabo de Penas.]. The total number of the free population amounts to 240,000 persons.

The jurisdiction of Lucus [Now the city of Lugo in Gallicia.] embraces, besides the Celtici and the Lebuni, sixteen different nations, but little known and with barbarous names. The number however of the free population amounts to nearly 166,000.

In a similar manner the twenty-four states of the jurisdiction of the Bracari contain a population of 175,000, among whom, besides the Bracari [The people of Bracara Augusta, now Braga. Among the ruins of the ancient city are the remains of an aqueduct and an amphitheatre. This people probably derived their name from their fashion of wearing braccæ, “breeches” or “trowsers,” like their neighbours of Gallia Braccata. The exact localities of the various other tribes here mentioned do not appear to be exactly known.] themselves, we may mention, without wearying the reader, the Bibali, the Cœlerni, the Gallæci, the Hequæsi, the Limici, and the Querquerni.

The length of the Nearer Spain, from the Pyrenees to the frontier of Castulo, is 607 [Our author is mistaken here, even making allowance for the shortness of the Roman mile (1618 yards), as the length is only 470 miles. Coastwise it is 620.] miles, and a little more if we follow the line of the coast; while its breadth, from Tarraco to the shore of Olarson [Now Oyarzun. It is also mentioned in B. iv. c..], is 307 [He is also in error here; for, taken in a straight line, this distance is but 210 miles.] miles. From the foot of the Pyrenees, where it is wedged in by the near approach of the two seas, it gradually expands until it touches the Farther Spain, and thereby acquires a width more than double [The distance is about 560 miles.].

Nearly the whole of Spain abounds in mines [It may be worth while here to take some notice of the mineral productions of Spain in modern times, from which we shall be able to form a more accurate judgement as to the correctness of the statement here made by Pliny. Grains of gold are still to be found in the rivers Tagus and Douro; but there is not found sufficient of the precious metal to pay for the search. Silver is found in the mines of the Guadal canal. Copper and lead are to be found in abundance. There is a mine of plumbago four leagues from Ronda; and tin is found in Gallicia. In every province there are iron mines, those in Biscay being the most remarkable. Lodestone is found in Seville, cobalt on the Pyrenees, quicksilver and cinnabar at Almaden, arsenic in Asturias, and coal in Asturias and Arragon. There are salt-mines at Mingrilla and Cardona; alum is found in Arragon, antimony at Alcaraz. On the Sierra Morena, and in Gallicia, there is saltpetre in numerous localities; amber in Asturias and Valencia, and sulphur in Murcia, Arragon, and Seville. Pipe-clay of a peculiar quality is found in the vicinity of Andujar. Gypsum and marble are found in great abundance, and stone for budding purposes, of the best quality. Amethysts, white cornelians, rubies, agates, garnets, and rock crystals, with other precious stones, are also found in abundance and of the finest quality.] of lead, iron, copper, silver, and gold; in the Nearer Spain there is also found lapis specularis [Transparent stone. Further mention is made of it by Pliny in B. xxxv. c. 45.]; in Bætica there is cinnabar. There are also quarries of marble. The Emperor Vespasianus Augustus, while still harassed by the storms that agitated the Roman state, conferred the Latian rights on the whole of Spain. The Pyrenean mountains divide Spain from Gaul, their extremities projecting into the two seas on either side.