Spain: An Oxford Archaeological Guide

Oxford Oxford University Press has published a series of archaeological guidebooks. So far, seven volumes have appeared: Greece, the Holy Land, Rome, Scotland, Southern France, Spain, and England. The series is edited by Barry Cunliffe, who is professor of European archaeology at Oxford University and one of the most famous British archaeologists. As a young man he took part in the excavations of Fishbourne Palace in southern England. The official guidebook about this site is written by him. He is also the author of the official guidebook about the Roman baths in Bath.

Roger Collins works at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of several books, including Early Medieval Spain (2002) and The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710-797 (1994).

His archaeological guidebook on Spain covers 138 sites from five different historical periods:  (1) The prehistoric period, (2) the Roman period, (3) the Visigoth period, and (4) the Christian and Islamic middle age.

The book begins with a historical introduction (38 pages).  The main section of the book (about 250 pages) contains the 138 sites listed in alphabetical order.

The book concludes with a glossary, a chronological survey, a bibliography, a list of sources and an alphabetical index.

It is illustrated with some black-and-white photos and some drawings, partly maps of some towns, partly maps of some archaeological sites.

The description of individual sites varies a good deal: Bilbilis, where the Roman poet Martial was born, gets only one page, and the Roman bath in Alange gets only six lines. On the other hand, Mérida, the best preserved Roman town in Spain, gets 15 pages, and Tarragona, another place with many Roman remains, gets six pages.

There a few mistakes (or maybe misprints) in the text:

** The first Punic war began in 264 BC,

not 247 BC (page 13).

 

** The town Italica was founded in 206 BC,

not 205 BC (page 148-149).

 

** The Spanish village with the monumental Roman arch is called Medinaceli,
not Medinacelli (page 183).

 

** The Roman aqueduct in Segovia is up to 29 meters high,

not up to 128 meters high (page 256).

 

** The Scipio brothers, who fought in Spain, died in 211 BC,

not in 212 (page 270).

 

** Hannibal’s attack on Saguntum took place in 219 BC,

not in 218 BC (page 301).

Apart from these mistakes or maybe misprints, it is my impression that the information in this book is correct and relevant. I had it with me on a trip to Spain during which I had the opportunity to check its facts down to the smallest detail, and my general conclusion is that Collins has written an excellent guidebook; useful and reliable.

I miss two Roman sites that deserve to be mentioned - and to be visited if you are in Spain:

(1) In the section on Mérida, he mentions the Roman dam Proserpina that lies five kilometers north of the town. But he does not mention the Roman dam Cornalvo that lies 16 kilometers east of the town.

(2) In the section on Tarragona, he mentions four ancient monuments that are located near the town. But he does not mention the Roman quarry El Médol that lies seven kilometers north of the town.

In his preface, Colliins issues a warning: Spanish museums often close for renovation (in Spanish: obras). This warning is very appropriate, as I learned from my personal experience with the archaeological museum in Seville.

The last room, in which the major finds are placed, was closed because of obras. A member of the staff assured me that all rooms would be open to the public the next day after 12 o’clock. But when I returned the next afternoon, I was given the same line: ”Come back tomorrow after 12 o’clock!”

After a long and intensive conversation with this member of staff I was allowed into the last room, after all. There was no apparent reason for the closure. I was lucky, but you cannot be so lucky every time you come to a closed door.

The Canadian author James M. Anderson has also written an archaeological guidebook about Spain. The title is: Spain: 1001 sights: An Archaeological and Historical Guide. It was published by the University of Calgary Press in 1991.

Let me compare the two volumes: Anderson covers more sites than Collins, as is clear from the title of his book. On the other hand, his description of individual sites is very brief. When he presents a site with many monuments he merely gives a list of them, rather than a description. To illustrate my point: Mérida does not even get two whole pages.

Anderson has quantity, while Collins has quality. If you compare the two books, it is easy to see that Collins has written the best one. His book is worth reading before, during and after a trip to Spain.

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Roger Collins,

Spain: An Oxford Archaeological Guide,

Oxford Paperbacks, 1998, 328 pages

 

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