Angel Morillo Cerdán

Cultos militares y espacios sagrados en el campamento de la legio VII gemina en León

A partir de las evidencias epigraficas sobre cultos militares romanos recogidas en la ciudad de Leon, procedentes en su mayoria de la muralla tetrarquica, se traza un panorama sobre religiosidad en el campamento de la legio VII gemina, donde divinidades como Diana, las Ninfas y el Genius de la Legion VII, ademas del emperador, ocupan una posicion preeminente. Junto a ellas se constatan otras deidades como Marte, documentado por primera vez en Leon. A partir de la posicion que ocupaban dichas lapidas en la obra de la muralla, asi como de algunas evidencias topograficas, literarias y arqueologicas planteamos diversas hipotesis de trabajo sobre la posible localizacion de algunos espacios sagrados en determinadas zonas del campamento y su periferia.

El período de la “Paz Armada” en el Norte de Hispania (19/15 a.C. – 15/20 d.C.): ¿la creación de un sistema de defensa sin frontera?

From a military point of view, the Augustan actions in Hispania can be divided in two different stages: the Cantabrian Wars and the immediately following years (29-19/15 BC) and the subsequent stabilization process, an “Armed Peace” (19/15 BC- 14 AD). Throughout almost ten years, between 29-19 BC., the Roman army gets involved in a long series of operations and skirmishes known as Cantabrian Wars, in which Augustus himself and some of his best generals took part. The conquest of the Cantabri and Astures tribes conclude the integration of complete integration of the whole Hispania within the Roman Empire. In the last years, the archaeological investigation have experimented a very important progress in this field. The scene of the conquest strategies of the Astur and Cantabrian territories by the Roman army is changing quickly. The end of the war and the subsequent departure of the majority of the troops to the Empire’s northern frontiers clearly initiated a new period. It is from this time that the basis of a military policy of longterm territorial occupation was established. The basis of that policy is the configuration of an exercitus Hispanicus attached to the Tarraconensis province that mainly consists of three legions chosen from those that have taken part in the war: the IIII Macedonica, the VI Victrix and the X Gemina. It is from this time that a series of ‘permanent’ legionary camps (Herrera de Pisuerga, Astorga, Leon) are created for the troops stationed in the northern Hispania. They configured a protective barrier to the south of the Cantabrian mountain range, that we have called ‘limes without border’. We are referring not so much to a policy of frontiers in itself as to a strip of frontier territory under military control and administration where, obviously, the main military works and settlements are concentred and they give us an idea of the plan applied in the northern boundaries of the Empire some years later. Tiberius ´arrival to the power means a military reorganization of the north of Hispania.

Material constructivo latericio procedente del campamento de la Legio VII Gemina en León. La intervención arqueológica de Puerta Obispo

A large quantity of Roman bricks and tiles were recovered in 1996 during the excavations in Puerta Obispo (Leon), near the eastern gate of the Roman military fortress of the legio VII gemina. A great part of this material (bricks, bessales, pedales, concamerationes) belonged to the legionary baths, located under the current gothic cathedral. These archaeological excavations have also unearthed roof tiles (tegulae, imbrices) that were originally part of the porta principalis sinistra, the main gate on the eastern side of the fortress, during the late 3rd century AC. In this paper we also review the stamped bricks and tiles, which constitute most of the material found found in Puerta Obispo. In addition to the repertoire of military stamps of the legio VII gemina, we analyze the production marks, numbers, shoe prints and traces of animals, which give important information about production and daily life in the legionary camp.