The Roman Invasion of Iberia

By: Adrián Martín Marañón

Introduction

• The Iberian Peninsula had been invaded by various civilizations before the Romans.

• This people search natural resources.

• Roman invasion started with an armed conflict with Carthago.

• We can divide the process of occupation in six periods.

First Period: Punic War Two (218-201 BC)

• This war began when Hannibal attacked Sagunto.

• In Ampurias the first Roman troops landed under the command of Publius Cornelius Scipio.

• Publius Scipio attacked Cartago Nova and con• In the year 205 BC Publius Scipio defeated the

last Carthaginian army quested it.

Anibal Barca, Carthaginian generalPublius Cornelius Scipio, Roman general

Second Period: Wars of conquest (205-160 BC)

• In the year 189 BC the conquest of the area called Lusitania began.

• In the year 181 BC Quinto Fabio Flacco started the conquest of central Hispania, Celtiberia.

• Between the year 178 BC and 156 BC there was no major military campaigns

Third Period: Lusitanian´s rebellions (155-139 BC)

• There were three important rebellions in the region of Lusitania.

• The first was carried out by the Lusitanian leader "Punico" in the year 155 BC.

• rebellion came when in the year 153 BC, Caisaros took control of Lusitanian troops after the death of Punico

• The third revolt was caused by Viriato in the year 147 BC, when he rebelled against the troops of Servius Sulpicius Galba.

Viriato image

Fourth period: Celtiberian war and the continuation of the conquest (181-133 BC)• There were three wars against the people

called Celtiberians.

• The first Celtiberian War (181-179 BC) is a defensive war by Rome.

• The second Celtiberian War took place between 154-152 BC. Numancia resisted the Roman attacks.

• The third Celtiberian war between the years 143-133 BC.

• In the year 133 BC, Scipio Aemilianus, the destroyer of Carthage, besieged Numancia again.

Numancia besieged map

Roman territories in the year 133 BC

Fifth period: the period of calm and civil wars (133-44 BC)

• Until the year 83 BC, there was relative calm in Hispania, and there weren´t important riots or military campaigns.

• First civil war started which faced Quintus Sertorius and Sila.

• Sertorius after being defeated in Italy, escaped to Hispania, where continued fighting.

• The second civil war (49-45 BC), which matched Julius Caesar and Pompey.

• Action was the same: having been defeated Pompey in Italy, run away, and he moved the war back to H.

• Third civil war between Octavian Augustus and Marco Antony, which almost didn´t have repercussions in Hispania.

Sila

Quintus Sertorius

Iulius Caesar

Pompeius Magno

Octavius Augustus

Marco Antonio

Sixth Period: Astur-Cantabrian Wars and the end of the conquest of Iberia (29-19 BC)

• The fighting between the Roman Empire and the Asturian and Cantabrian people is known as the Cantabrian wars.

• Emperor Augustus in person would direct part of the campaign.

• Rome succeed, and subjugated them, but also payed a high price.

Roman campaign

Cantabrian territory

• The legend says that Emperor Augustus was struck by lightning while he was on Cantabria’s land.

• The legend says that Emperor Augustus was struck by lightning while he was on Cantabria’s land.

• Romans couldn´t understand the fact that Cantanbrian people sang when they were being crucified or that they preferred suicide to living as slaves.

• Victory over the Cantabrian and Asturian put an end to the conquest of Iberia in the year 19 BC.

Aftermath

After two hundred years of constant fights finally Rome controlled the entire Iberian Peninsula and exerted control over its fall five centuries later.

THE END