Week 5
LECTURE
In the contest with Carthage, Rome won. And one important part of the Mediterranean world that now opened to Roman domination was Spain. The Romans called it Hispania. The Roman era in Spanish history endured for more than six hundred years: from 218 B. C. to the fall of Rome itself in the 400's. During those six hundred years the roads, the aquaducts, the bridges, the cities themselves were all transformed by the new Roman conquerers so that our present-day Spain is still, to some extent, a reflection of Roman Spain. Spain was also the ultimate test of Julius Caesar and his leadership in the emerging Roman Empire.
RECOMMENDED READING
This is the best book on the subject in English. There are used copies of this high quality paperback at about $20.00 and up.
If you have never read Caesar's book about the conquest of Gaul, you will find it extremely interesting, especially about the Celts (Gauls) and if you have read it before you might want to pull it down from your Institute bookshelf and look it over again.
About Julius Caesar, the best biography available is the recent, well done biography by Christian Meier. It is a big book but up to date and a great introduction to this extraordinary person.
PART TWO: Mérida
A visit to Mérida, one of the best preserved sites of Roman ruins in Spain.