Clunia
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  Shown within Spain | |
| Alternative name | Colonia Clunia Sulpicia |
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| Location | Peñalba de Castro, Province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain |
| Coordinates | 41°46′50″N 03°22′14″W / 41.78056°N 3.37056°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| Site notes | |
| Website | Spain.info |
Clunia (full name Colonia Clunia Sulpicia) was an
History
Origins
The city of Clunia was founded on a mount a short distance from a Celtiberian settlement called Cluniaco, or Kolounioukou, belonging to the Arevaci, a Pre-Roman tribe that belonged to the family of Celtiberians.
Clunia was built from scratch. Unlike other sites conquered by the Romans, Clunia did not occupy the site of an earlier city or town. Clunia boasted two
Apogee
From
Years later, the city was formally founded ex novo during the time of Emperor
The city acquired, possibly during the reign of Galba or Hadrian, the status of colonia[3] and the epithet of Sulpicia after Sulpicius Galba, governor of Hispania, proclaimed himself emperor, and who in 68 AD took refuge in Clunia during the anti-Neronian revolution. At this town he received news of the death of the emperor and the announcement of his own elevation as emperor by the Roman Senate (because of this some essayist added the epithet of Galba to the name of the city). He traveled to Rome from Clunia.
The splendor of the Roman city of Clunia was extended during the 1st and 2nd century AD, the same as other cities of the northern plateau of
Decline
During the 3rd century, a gradual depopulation of the urban nucleus took place which was connected with the
The full conquest of Visigothic Hispania by the Muslims, the city and its surroundings were conquered by the troops of the
Later, the village of Peñalba de Castro was built, which received the meseta of the enclave of Clunia in exchange for water in a time when the value of water was more valuable than the few ruins not yet buried that remained of the abandoned Roman city.
Archaeological remains
Clunia constitutes an archaeological enclave of exceptional interest in a collection of the Iberian Peninsula. This interest is determined by its urban morphology and by the cultural sequence of the findings that it provides. Also, its ruins are the most representative of all the ones that have been found of the Roman period in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.
The archaeological excavations in the deposit began in 1915. The work resumed in 1931 and 1958, bringing to light the glorious past of one of the principal cities of Hispania whose extension — judging by the archaeological excavation — neared 1.2 square kilometres, this being one of the largest cities of all of Roman Hispania. The excavations permitted the discovery —after centuries of being hidden— a
Urban morphology
As in every city, the majority of the space developed in Clunia was occupied by dwellings. The archaeological excavations have permitted the following of the evolution of the domestic town planning and verify some of its most characteristic features.
In the archaeological deposit, the following buildings can be observed:
Theater
The most significant ruin is the
Forum
The center of Romana cities, where the
Thermae
With the Roman forum are the ruins of the Roman thermae, of great dimensions and covered in mosaics somewhat simpler than that of the homes of the forum. Here also is very visible the system of heating of the different thermae rooms, the hypocaust.
Other buildings
In the subsoil of the city, where no visiting is allowed due to its fragility, are the very interesting systems of water supply and a
References
- Great Larousse Encyclopedia, vol 5. Barcelona: Planeta Editorial, S.A.; 1987. ISBN 84-320-7375-X.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e The Site of Clunia Archived 2007-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Yacimiento arqueológico ˜COLONIA CLVNIA SVLPICIA˜ Archived 2007-08-25 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Clunia
External links
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| Geographic | |
