Spanish Civilization And Culture

SESSION 2 First Civilizations and Roman Heritage

SPANISH CIVILIZATION AND CULTURE CEA BARCELONA GLOBAL CAMPUS SUMMER 2007 PROGRAMME Instructor: Victor Lapuente Gine e-mail: [email protected]

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

OUTLINE OF THE SESSION

1) First Civilizations 2) First Invasions 3) The Roman Heritage

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

1) First Civilizations -The origin of the name ‘Spain’: Spain itself takes its name from the Latin Hispania. The word is probably Phoenician in origin, derived from shepham probably meaning 'coast or island of rabbits'. The rabbit, at the time, was endemic and virtually restricted to the Peninsula. The oldest existing fossil of a rabbit is a specimen from 2.5 million years ago found in Granada. In fact, the rabbit did not really expand from Iberia until the Phoenicians, began to export it around the Mediterranean

Earliest Human Movements to Spain

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage -The origins of the population of the Iberian peninsula are not clear -First clue: ATAPUERCA settlements. http://www.atapuerca.com about 800.000 BC. “homo antecessor”: hunter-gatherers (and cannibalism) (Go to the webpage and browse the “Time Machine” section, look at 1,000,000 years ago -on Atapuerca Man) -100,000-40,000: Neanderthals -40,000-10,000: during the last Ice Age, Neanderthals were displaced by the so-called Cro-Magnon humans (homo sapiens sapiens) -The Economist Article: Miss Adam Smith 1.What is the originality of the article? 2.Which are the main flaws of the argument?

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Paintings in Altamira and from around 15,000 BC. http://www.cantabriainter.net/cantabria/lugares/ cuevasaltamira.htm -While in the Cantabric one may find more pictures related with the animals, those in the Mediterranean are more linked with people, humans Conclusion: Evidence of very early population in the Peninsula

The Cave Paintings of Altamira 15,000 BCE

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Around 5,000 BC, the ‘Neolithic Revolution’. -The first sedentary communities in Spain: Catalonia, the Levante and Andalusia. Megalithic Construction: evidence of increasingly advanced societies

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Who was living in Spain from 2,500 BC onwards? Different people in different areas • Tartessos -Herodotus: ‘the western Dorado’ -From 10th to 5th century BC -Settled in the southwest valleys of the Tinto & Guadalquivir River. -Area rich in copper and silver. -Evidence of trade with other parts in the Mediterranean & Great Britain. -They dissapeared probably for the appearance of Iron and the expansion of Phoenicians and carthaginians.

The Iberian territory

Where am I?

The Galician Coast

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

2. Celtas -in the WEST of the Peninsula -they left important evidences like Castros (round fortifications). http://www.pbase.com/jlfernan/castro_san_ciprian_de_las -influence in the culture and mythology of peninsular northeast. 3. Iberos -in the EAST of the Peninsula. -evidences: Dama de Elche y de Baza funerary statues. http://www.ffil.uam.es/catalogo/madrid/bendala.htm http://www.dearqueologia.com/dama_baza.htm

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

2) First Invasions What later would become Spain was invaded different times: 6. 7. 8. 9.

Greeks Phoenicians Carthaginians Romans

Conquering Empires

Empuries – 6 Century BC th

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

4) The Roman Heritage Why did the Romans conquer Spain? -Because of peripheral imperialism -Raw materials and agriculture

Hispania – Roman rule of Iberia ▪ Hispania Citerior ▪ Hispania Ulterior 197 BC

Baetica

▪

(Cordoba)

▪

Tarraconensis

(Tarragona) ▪ Lusitania (Merida) 27 AD

Contributions of Rome to Hispania • Completely integrated part of the Roman Empire (although constantly warred with native groups) • Language • Law • Religion • Art • Public Engineering • Education But Romanization was slow, and unsteady, mainly due to isolation caused by geography. Some commented it had a ‘superficial veneer’.

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Society during the Roman period Society was divided in roman aristocrats, descendents of the indigenous aristocracy, colonizers and indigenous. Agricultural society Distribution of land in Latifundios (big chunks of land) Latifundios were a payment to high-rank officials in the army

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Romanization and Urbanization Not homogeneous. South: faster and more cohesive. North: more disperse and later. Creation of the first big cities in Spain: Emerita Augusta, Caesaragusta, Tarrago, Gades

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-Roman Monuments: Acueducto de Segovia (119 archs), Arco de Bara, Puente de Alcantara (45m., the highest of the Roman Empire)

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-The Roman Law Still used and studied today Precedent for the feudal system in which the lords protect their vassals. Justice was administered through conventus juiridi, administrative districts. The Romans first divided Hispania in 2 sections, Ulterior and Citerior Augustus altered this arrangement, creating 3 provinces: Hispania Tarraconensis (Tarraco), Hispania Baetica (Cordoba) and Hispania Lusitania (Emerita Augusta)

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

-The long decadence of the Roman Hispania Hispania was stable until the end of the II AC. First problems: Barbarians and African invasions, Internal rebellions, power struggles In 255 AD, there was the first important Germanic invasion They attack cities of the north like Tarragona Cities become smaller and fortified

SESSION 2 First Civilizations & Roman Heritage

Spain becomes Christian The end of the Roman Hispania is between 407-409, when several Germanic groups entered in the Spanish peninsula Immediate effects: anarchy and insecurity; mass migrations and ‘vandalism’