Battle of Vellica

Coordinates: 42°44′37″N 4°17′12″W / 42.7436°N 4.2867°W / 42.7436; -4.2867
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Battle of Vellica
Part of the
Mave is the location that can be seen in the centre)
Date25 BC
Location
Vellica, Cantabria, Hispania
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Empire Cantabri
Commanders and leaders
Augustus Unknown

The Battle of Vellica was a battle of the

Roman legions against the Cantabri forces who resided in the area. The most generally accepted location for the battle is the area around Monte Cildá, Olleros de Pisuerga, Palencia
.

Location of the Battle

Cildá was populated by the Cantabri people. Claudius Ptolemy (II,6,51) mentions Vellika first amongst the Cantabrian towns.[1]

Certain authors such as

Amaya but before the battle at Castro de Monte Bernorio.[3]

It has likewise been inferred that Vellica and

Mave and that the hill fort was merely a complementary defensive position.[5]

The battle

From about 29 BC the Romans began a definitive push into the territories dominated by the

Augustus
.

According to the chronicles of Florus and Orosius, a momentous battle occurred at the town of Vellica between the Romans, led by Caesar Augustus and the Cantabrians that culminated in the taking of the town in around 25 BC.[6][7] It is likely that these chronicles refer to the plain of Mave which is where other historians place the battle.[8] Unlike in previous confrontations, in this battle, the Cantabrians decided to face the Romans on open ground to give battle, possibly due to the lack of supplies necessary to defend the hill fort.

This battle was won decisively by the powerful Legio IV Macedonica, mustered in Segisama Iulia (Sasamón), as a prelude to the eventual assault on Castro de Monte Bernorio. It is also likely that the Legio IX Hispana also took part in the fighting given the size of the battle.[9] After the defeat of the Cantabrians, the Roman forces levelled the tribe's fortress and town structures.[2]

See also

  • List of Roman wars and battles

References

  • The information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent.
  1. ^ Celtiberia: Castro de Monte Cildá.
  2. ^ a b Lista Roja del Patrimonio: Yacimiento de Monte Cildá.
  3. ISBN 84-87934-23-4
  4. ^ J.L. Ramírez Sádaba,La Toponimia de la guerra. Utilización y utilidad, p.177 Versión en PDF
  5. ^ Cantabria Joven: Romanización. Archived 2005-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Floro, II, 33, 48.
  7. ^ Orosio, VI, 21, 3.
  8. ^ J. González Echegaray, Las guerras cántabras en las fuentes, p.166 Disponible en PDF.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Muy Interesante: Empotrado en la Legio Nona. Archived 2009-02-15 at the Wayback Machine

42°44′37″N 4°17′12″W / 42.7436°N 4.2867°W / 42.7436; -4.2867

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