Hispania: The Romans in Spain and Portugal

The first Roman soldiers landed on the Iberian Peninsula in 218 BC, there to interdict Hannibal and his war effort. This landing in what they called Hispania heralded the takeover by Rome which took another two centuries to complete. As the peninsula’s wealth flowed to Rome it developed into the most favoured of all the Empire’s provinces. Amidst general prosperity, great temples, theatres and amphitheatres as well as aqueducts and roads were built all over the peninsula. It was a land at peace, requiring only a small military garrison. Two of the most outstanding emperors, Trajan and Hadrian, came from Italica, near Seville, in the south of the peninsula. However as the centuries rolled on, the Roman Empire went into decline. The writing was on the wall for Hispania and the end came in the fifth century AD when barbarian tribes invaded.In this masterly book, Michael B. Barry tells the story of the six centuries of the Roman presence in Spain and Portugal. Using many images, the splendour that was Hispania is richly illustrated. If you want to know the glory that was Roman Hispania, this clearly written and accessible book is for you. Read more