Uxama Argaela was a Celtiberian, and subsequently Roman, city located on El Castro hill, overlooking the present town of

El Burgo de Osma Burgo de Osma-Ciudad de Osma is the third-largest municipality in the province of Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It has a population of about 5,250. It is made up of two parts: *the smaller Ciudad de Osma (city ...

in Soria, Spain. Topography of Uxama Uxama view

History

As one of the cities of the Arevaci, it actively participated in the Celtiberian Wars (153–133 BC) and was conquered by Rome in 99 BC. Later, it supported the cause of the Roman rebel Quintus Sertorius against Rome, and was destroyed by Pompey the Great in 72 BC, although it was rebuilt shortly afterwards. According to Pliny and Ptolemy, it was one of the communities of the Conventus Iuridicus Cluniensis province in

Hispania Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia was the ...

and became a '' Municipium'' under Tiberius, after which began an important monumentalisation process that involved the construction of a small

forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

, a series of large urban villas, city walls, and an industrial district on the banks of the river Ucero. In time of the Visigoths in the 6th century, the bishops attended the Councils of Toledo.

Present site

The city covers two plateaus with an area of 28 ha. The walls, protected by rectangular towers, can be seen to the north east and south of the city. The most important monuments are the Mina (section of a drain), cisterns, baths, and a basilica with mosaics. In the Portugui vineyards part of an extensive Celtiberian cemetery has been excavated, with incineration graves of the 3rd-2nd century BC. Sections of the aqueduct can be seen cut into tunnels in the solid rock on the edge of the ancient city.

Finds

Every year a season of summer excavations is done in conjunction with the site of

Tiermes In Sami shamanism, Horagalles, also written Hora Galles and Thora Galles and often equated with Tiermes or ''Aijeke'' (i.e. "grandfather or great grandfather"), is the thunder god. He is depicted as a wooden figure with a nail in the head and with ...

There is also a modest museum, open only in the summer months, about 2 kilometers from the old fort along the

N-122 The N-122 is a highway in Spain. It connects Valladolid and Zaragoza to the Portugal–Spain border, where it connects to the A4 motorway (Portugal), this section was formerly the IP-4 and is now part of the European route E82 to Matosinhos. Th ...

. Finds are numerous and significant, and are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, the Numantine Museum in Soria and the National Army Museum in Toledo. They include sculptures, Roman capitals, iron weapons, including inscriptions, republican and

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

coins, ceramics, glass objects, and a set of horse bronzes.

References

{{Coord, 41.575, N, 3.094, W, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Roman towns and cities in Spain Roman sites in Spain Celtiberian cities and towns