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Ercavica (or Arcavica) was an important
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
City whose remains are visible today at the archaeological site. It is situated on the hill of Santaver near
Cañaveruelas Cañaveruelas is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 223. Arcavica Within the territory of the present-day municipality once stood the town of Ercavica (or Arcavica), an episcopal see An episcopal se ...
in Spain.


History

The site of the Roman city of Ercávica is located on a promontory near the river Guadiela. The Celtiberian city stood a few kilometres away on the opposite bank of the river, and was a military camp during the
Sertorian war The Sertorian War was a civil war fought from 80 to 72 BC between a faction of Roman rebels ( Sertorians) and the government in Rome (Sullans). The war was fought on the Iberian Peninsula (called ''Hispania'' by the Romans) and was one of the ...
. Ercávica is mentioned for the first time in connection with the campaign of 179 BC of
Tiberius Gracchus Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ( 163 – 133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. He had also served in the Roma ...
on the lands of Celtiberians.
Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...
recounts how the powerful and famous city of Ercávica, scared by the disasters suffered by neighbours, decided to open its doors to the Romans.Livy:
History of Rome The history of Rome includes the history of the city of Rome as well as the civilisation of ancient Rome. Roman history has been influential on the modern world, especially in the history of the Catholic Church, and Roman law has influenced ...
The Roman city was developed from the 2nd century BC with regular street plan, a city wall and public and private buildings. The Augustan period saw the transformation of Ercávica with the construction of sophisticated buildings such as a forum, basilica and temple(s), and the grant of status of
municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the priv ...
as shown by coins issued by its mint. It reached its apogee of prosperity during the first and second centuries AD. From the 3rd century the city began a slow decline that led to the abandonment of the site between the fourth century and the fifth century. Then the site appears to be reoccupied again, but under the name of Arcávica mentioned in the Councils of Toledo as an episcopal see, before it was moved to Cuenca.


The Site

The Forum, as the public and civic centre, is composed of a set of monumental buildings. The square is rectangular, paved with large stone slabs surrounded by arcades, and on its southern side the basilica for judicial functions. On the western side is a group of small houses or shops, open to the main road (cardo maximus) that ran from north to south. A monumental base and an extension of the forum on the eastern side stand over a two-storey cryptoporticus. The town's houses in insulae are defined by cobbled streets and arcaded main roads perpendicular to the axis. The best known is the so-called Medical House, its rooms surrounding the atrium with impluvium with four columns.


References

{{Coord, 40.4318, N, 2.6693, W, source:wikidata, display=title Roman towns and cities in Spain Roman sites in Spain Buildings and structures in the Province of Cuenca Archaeological sites in Castilla–La Mancha