Siege of Numantia
| date | 134 BC BC to 133 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Numantia |
| output | Victory of the Romans |
| consequences | End of the Spanish War |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 20,000-40,000 | approx. 4,000 |
| losses | |
|
low |
Enslavement of the survivors |
The siege of Numantia marks the end of the Spanish war between the Roman Empire and the Celtiberians . With the conquest of Numantia by Scipio Aemilianus in the summer of 133 BC. The almost ten year old conflict, which was costly for both sides, came to an end.
prehistory
In 134 BC In BC, Scipio the Younger was elected consul for the second time and sent to Spain by the Roman Senate to completely conquer the Iberian Peninsula . When he arrived in what is now Spain, the morale of the legions stationed there was weak, and the prospect of small booty made the recruitment of mercenaries difficult. Scipio still managed to raise an army of around 20,000 to 40,000 men and begin the siege of Numantia. He was reinforced by the well-trained Numidian cavalry under their charismatic leader Jugurtha .
The siege
Scipio erected around the Celtic or Celtiberian capital, his opponents under their leader in the Avarus had withdrawn, a Circumvallation . Furthermore, he had the water of a nearby swamp dammed up to create an additional artificial barrier. To protect against possible reinforcements by the Iberians, a contravallation was also set up. A chain in the Duero flowing through the city was intended to prevent possible escape attempts. Wooden towers were also erected on both sides of the river as guard posts.
The Celtiberians wanted to wait for one of their greatest warriors, Rhetogenes , until a possible breakout . This was to blow up the siege ring with the help of allies. However, he could not convince other tribes such as the Arevacians to go to war and only inspire a crowd of 400 young people in Lutia for his project. However, they were ambushed by Scipio's troops through treason. After their capture, the hands of each of the 400 were said to have been chopped off. Since no more reinforcements from outside were to be expected, Avarus began negotiations with the Romans.
surrender
The first Iberian negotiators asked for their freedom if the city surrendered, but Scipio refused. On their return they were murdered by the skeptical people of the city, as it was widely believed that the negotiations had been broken off on purpose. Hunger and cannibalism now appeared within the walls of the city, whose residents refused to surrender. Whole families are said to have committed suicide. At the end of summer 133 BC The rest of the population surrendered after setting the city on fire. Scipio also had the last foundations razed to the ground and the survivors led into slavery .
reception
Various Roman historians reported on the siege of Numantia, emphasizing above all the Celts' desire for freedom and courage to fight against the Romans. Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote , wrote about the battle in his work La Numancia . More recently, the author Carlos Fuentes should be mentioned, who dealt with the events of the Roman period in Spain in The Two Numantians , part of the collection The Orange Tree .
literature
- Paul K. Davis: Defeated. 100 Great Sieges from Jericho to Sarajevo . Oxford University Press, Oxford 2003, ISBN 0-19-521930-9 .
- Alfred Heuss : Roman history . 10th edition, Schöningh, Paderborn 2007, ISBN 978-3-506-73927-8 , p. 120.