Acinipo

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The ruins of the theater of the Roman city of Acinipo in southern Spain

Acinipo or Acinippo ( Greek  Ἀκινίππω ) was an ancient Roman city ​​in southern Spain .

location

Site plan of the ruins

The ruins of the city are located about 20 kilometers northwest of Ronda in Andalusia , province of Málaga . The excellent location of the city in terms of strategy, trade routes, fertility and agriculture at the time meant that Acinipo quickly grew to a considerable size and gained the right to mint coins . The settlement originally took up the entire high plateau. Today there are countless ruins, which are in four complexes at an altitude of 920  m to 980  meters above sea level on the southern descent of the mountain Las Mesas . (see map) For example, thermal baths , an amphitheater , foundation walls of residential and farm buildings and the foundation of a cistern have been preserved . Acinipo is also known as Ronda la Vieja , the old Ronda or Arunda in the surrounding region .

history

The creation of Acinipo has not yet been fully explored. Mention by Pliny and Ptolemy as belonging to Belturia Celtica suggests an earlier, Celtic settlement. Some historians claim that the city came into being after the Battle of Munda (45 BC). The armies of Julius Caesar and Titus Labienus as well as the brothers Sextus and Gnaeus Pompeius the Younger met there . For Caesar, the Battle of Munda was a purge to finally defeat the conservative Republicans and destroy the last focal point of the opposition. But later it turned out that the situation for Caesar and his troops was meanwhile more threatening than planned. He is said to have said later that he usually fought for victory, but with Munda for his life.

Ultimately, Caesar's legions defeated the opponents and with them General Titus and one of the two brothers, Gnaeus Pompey the Younger. Sextus, however, managed to escape. As a notorious pirate, he would later cause problems for Caesar's heir, Augustus, with his fleet for years.

Some Spanish historians believe that Munda may have been the ancient name for what is now Ronda, so that the Battle of Munda may have taken place in this region. According to Pliny, however, the battle was fought in Osuna, a place about 50 kilometers north of Ronda, in the province of Seville . Although there has been disagreement to this day as to where the battle actually took place, there is consensus that Acinipo was founded as a city for the retired veterans of Caesar's legions. Arunda (Ronda), on the other hand, was a separate Roman outpost, which may have existed before the Munda conflict and was founded as a place for the veterans of the Republican legions.

today

The site is freely accessible all year round. The most impressive and best preserved ruin is the ancient theater, in which performances still take place today.

literature

Web links

Commons : Acinipo  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Pliny the Elder , Naturalis historia 3, 14.
  2. ↑ a b Acinipo at visitcostdelsol
  3. ↑ Acinipo at spaininfo.de

Coordinates: 36 ° 50 ′  N , 5 ° 14 ′  W