| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 3.3 | Plin. Nat. 3.4 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 3.5 |
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 [Note], of Tarraco, of Cæsar Augusta [Note], of
Clunia [Note], of Asturica [Note], of Lucus [Note], and of the Bracari [Note]. 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 [Note] 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 [Note], to the city of Cæsarea [Note] in Mauritania, the passage is a distance of 187 miles. The remaining objects worthy of mention on the coast are the river Tader [Note], and the free colony of Ilici [Note], whence the Ilicitanian Gulf [Note] derives its name; to this colony the Icositani are subordinate.
We next have Lucentum [Note], holding Latian rights; Dianium [Note], a tributary town; the river Sucro [Note], 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 [Note] before it, and extending backward to Celtiberia. Valentia [Note], a colony, is situate three miles from the sea, after which comes the river Turium [Note], and Saguntum [Note] at the same distance, a town of Roman citizens famous for its fidelity, the river Uduba [Note], and the district of the Ilergaones [Note]. The Iberus [Note], a river enriched by its commerce, takes its rise in the country of the Cantabri, not far from the town of Juliobriga [Note], and flows a distance of 450 miles; 260 of which, from the town of Varia [Note] 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 [Note], and the colony of Tarraco, which was built by the Scipios as Carthage [Note] was by the Carthaginians. Then the district of the Ilergetes, the town of Subur [Note], and the river Rubricatum [Note], beyond which begin the Laletani and the Indigetes [Note]. Behind these, in the order in which they will be mentioned,
going back from the foot of the Pyrenees, are the Ausetani [Note], the Lacetani [Note], and along the Pyrenees, the Cerretani [Note], next to whom are the Vascones [Note]. On the coast is the colony of Barcino [Note], surnamed Faventia; Bætulo [Note] and Iluro [Note], towns with Roman citizens; the river Larnum [Note], Blandæ [Note], the river Alba [Note]; Emporiæ [Note], 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 [Note]. From this to the Venus Pyrenæa [Note], 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 [Note] and the Bisgargitani; enjoying Latian rights, the Ausetani, and the Cerretani, both Julian and Augustan, the Edetani [Note], the Gerundenses [Note], the
Gessorienses [Note], and the Teari [Note], also called Julienses. Among the tributaries are the Aquicaldenses [Note], the Onenses, and the Bæculonenses [Note].
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 [Note], the Celsenses [Note], a former colony, the Calagurritani [Note], surnamed the Nassici, the Ilerdenses [Note], of the nation of the Surdaones, near whom is the river Sicoris, the Oscenses [Note] in the district of Vescitania, and the Turiasonenses [Note]. Of those enjoying the rights of the ancient Latins, there are the Cascantenses [Note] the Ergavicenses [Note], the Graccuritani [Note], the Leo-
nicenses [Note], and the Osicerdenses; of federate states, there are the Tarragenses [Note]; and of tributaries, the Arcobrigenses [Note], the Andologenses [Note], the Aracelitani [Note], the Bursaonenses [Note], the Calagurritani [Note], who are also surnamed the Fibularenses, the Complutenses [Note], the Carenses [Note], the Cincenses [Note], the Cortonenses, the Damanitani [Note], the Larnenses [Note], the Lursenses [Note], the Lumberitani [Note], the Lacetani, the Lubienses, the Pompelonenses [Note], and the Segienses.
Sixty-five different nations resort to Carthage [Note], besides the inhabitants of the islands. Of the Accitanian [Note] colony, there are the Gemellenses, and the town of Libisosona [Note], surnamed Foroaugustana, to both of which have been granted Italian [Note] rights. Of the colony of Salaria [Note], there are the people of the following towns, enjoying the rights of ancient Latium: the Castulonenses, also called the Cæsari Venales, the Sætabitani [Note] or Augustani, and the Valerienses [Note]. The best known among the tributaries are the Alabanenses [Note], the Bastitani [Note], the Consaburrenses [Note], the Dianenses [Note], the Egelestani [Note],
the Ilorcitani [Note], the Laminitani, the Mentesani [Note], both those called Oritani and those called Bastuli, and the Oretani who are surnamed Germani [Note], the people of Segobriga [Note] the capital of Celtiberia, those of Toletum [Note] the capital of Carpetania, situate on the river Tagus, and after them the Viatienses and the Virgilienses [Note].
To the jurisdiction of Clunia [Note] the Varduli contribute fourteen nations, of whom we need only particularize the Albanenses [Note], the Turmodigi [Note], consisting of four tribes, among which are the Segisamonenses [Note] and the Segisamaiulienses. To the same jurisdiction belong the Carietes [Note] 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 [Note] were especially famous. Also, among the eighteen states of the Vaccæi, there are the Intercatienses [Note], the Pallantini [Note], the Lacobrigenses, and the Caucenses [Note]. But among the seven
peoples belonging to the Cantabri, Juliobriga [Note] is the only place worthy of mention; and of the ten states of the Autrigones, Tritium and Virovesca [Note]. The river Areva [Note] gives its name to the Arevaci; of whom there are six towns, Segontia [Note] and Uxama [Note], names which are frequently given to other places, as also Segovia [Note] and Nova Augusta, Termes [Note], 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 [Note] and the Transmontani, with the magnificent city of Asturica. Among these we have the Cigurri [Note], the Pæsici, the Lancienses [Note], and the Zoëlæ [Note]. The total number of the free population amounts to 240,000 persons.
The jurisdiction of Lucus [Note] 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 [Note] 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 [Note] miles, and a little more if we follow the line of the coast; while its breadth, from Tarraco to the shore of Olarson [Note], is 307 [Note] 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 [Note].
Nearly the whole of Spain abounds in mines [Note] of lead, iron,
copper, silver, and gold; in the Nearer Spain there is also found lapis specularis [Note]; 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.
| Pliny the Elder, Natural History (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Plin. Nat.]. | ||
| <<Plin. Nat. 3.3 | Plin. Nat. 3.4 (Latin) | >>Plin. Nat. 3.5 |
