Romanization of Hispania: Conquest, Society, and Legacy
Romanization of Hispania
Romanization was a transformative process spanning approximately seven centuries. The conquest began during the Second Punic War (218 BC), in which the Carthaginians and Romans battled for control of the Mediterranean, and concluded two centuries later. We can distinguish three stages:
- 218-204 BC: Annexation of Andalusia and the Levante peninsular area, which provided multiple benefits to Rome.
- 154-133 BC: Domination of the Meseta and the west. Important battles included the Lusitanian War led by Viriato and the Celtiberian Wars, which ended with the surrender of Numantia. After this stage, internal conflicts in Rome arose, pitting aristocratic families against each other, leading to the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire.
- 29 to 19 BC: Targeted campaigns by Augustus himself against the resistance offered by Cantabria and Asturias.
After the conquest, Roman rule lasted until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. This long period can be divided into two stages: the 1st and 2nd centuries AD (High Empire), which were the most prosperous and saw booming Romanization. However, from the mid-3rd century AD (Late Empire), symptoms of crisis became evident.
In parallel with the conquest, a process of Romanization occurred, implying profound changes in the lives of the peoples of Hispania, though it was uneven in time and space. Key aspects include:
- The conversion of the Iberian Peninsula into the Roman province of Hispania, which was subdivided into Nearer and Further Hispania (133 BC), then into Baetica, Lusitania, and Tarraconensis (Augustus), and finally into five provinces of smaller dimensions (3rd century AD). These provinces were considered subject territories and exploited for the benefit of Rome, governed by a praetor and a censor responsible for financial matters.
- Essential for the control and exploitation of the territory was the improvement of existing roads and the construction of new ones, giving rise to a network of roads that linked cities and places of commerce, serving as commercial axes. Notable routes included the Via Augusta (Italy, Gaul, Catalonia, Guadalquivir Valley) and the Vía de la Plata (Mérida to Galicia).
Equally necessary was the revitalization of cities such as Barcino (Barcelona), Tarraco (Tarragona), Caesar Augusta (Zaragoza), Hispalis (Seville), Emerita Augusta (Mérida), which were organized along the lines of Rome, featuring a regular plane (cardo-decumanus), monuments, government buildings, aqueducts, racecourses, theaters, and arenas.
Roman society was based on slavery. It consisted of free individuals and slaves, who provided labor in the mines and farms, falling into slavery by right of conquest and devoid of all rights. Among free men, there were also differences by status (Roman citizens, Latins, subjects, although from the 3rd century AD all were citizens) and political situation (senators, equestrians, etc.).
The Roman religion competed with indigenous beliefs, but in 312 AD, Christianity became the official religion (Edict of Milan).
Latin displaced indigenous languages and became the vehicle of Roman law.
All this combined with the intensive exploitation of resources: agriculture (cereals, grapes, olives), minerals (gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, mercury), and fisheries (salting, garum). The land and mines were taken over by the Roman aristocracy, and human resources (slaves) were sold in the territories of the rest of the Empire or employed in mainland farms. This situation, typical of a colonial economy, had some positive aspects, such as the construction of canals for irrigation, agricultural tools, and techniques (Roman plow, fertilizer, and crop rotation).
From the 3rd century AD, the Empire suffered a crisis that affected political, economic, and social development. This situation was exploited by the tribes beyond the Rhine and Danube to enter the Roman Empire.