The Battle of Vellica was a battle of the

Cantabrian Wars The Cantabrian Wars (29–19 BC) (''Bellum Cantabricum''), sometimes also referred to as the Cantabrian and Asturian Wars (''Bellum Cantabricum et Asturicum''), were the final stage of the two-century long Roman conquest of Hispania, in what tod ...

fought in the year 25 BC by the emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

and his

Roman legions The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...

against the

Cantabri The Cantabri ( grc-gre, Καντάβροι, ''Kantabroi'') or Ancient Cantabrians, were a pre-Roman people and large tribal federation that lived in the northern coastal region of ancient Iberia in the second half of the first millennium BC. Thes ...

forces who resided in the area. The most generally accepted location for the battle is the area around Monte Cildá, Olleros de Pisuerga,

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...

Location of the Battle

Cildá was populated by the

people.

Claudius Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importa ...

(II,6,51) mentions ''Vellika'' first amongst the Cantabrian towns.Celtiberia: Castro de Monte Cildá.
/ref> Certain authors such as Adolf Schulten, Miguel Ángel García Guinea and Iglesias Gil have placed the battle and the town of Vellica in an area near Monte Cildá.Lista Roja del Patrimonio: Yacimiento de Monte Cildá.
/ref> According to Joaquín González Echegaray, this town corresponded with the fortifications built on Monte Cildá (where there appeared an inscription that cites the clan of the ''Vellicum''), and that had to be taken by the Romans from the south, after capture of Amaya but before the battle at Castro de Monte Bernorio. It has likewise been inferred that Vellica and Bergida refer to the same city in different chronicles. Another widely accepted belief is that the town could be on the adjacent plain of Mave and that the hill fort was merely a complementary defensive position.

The battle

From about 29 BC the Romans began a definitive push into the territories dominated by the

and the

Astures The Astures or Asturs, also named Astyrs, were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, the modern province of León, and the ...

, commencing the so-called

. The Romans were led in person by the Emperor

. According to the chronicles of Florus and Orosius, a momentous battle occurred at the town of Vellica between the Romans, led by Caesar Augustus and the Cantabrians that culminated in the taking of the town in around 25 BC. It is likely that these chronicles refer to the plain of Mave which is where other historians place the battle. Unlike in previous confrontations, in this battle, the Cantabrians decided to face the Romans on open ground to give battle, possibly due to the lack of supplies necessary to defend the hill fort. This battle was won decisively by the powerful Legio IV Macedonica, mustered in ''Segisama Iulia'' (Sasamón), as a prelude to the eventual assault on Castro de Monte Bernorio. It is also likely that the

Legio IX Hispana Legio IX Hispana ("9th Spanish Legion"), also written Legio VIIII Hispana, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army that existed from the 1st century BC until at least 120 AD. The legion fought in various provinces of the late Roman ...

also took part in the fighting given the size of the battle.Muy Interesante: Empotrado en la Legio Nona.
After the defeat of the Cantabrians, the Roman forces levelled the tribe's fortress and town structures.

References

* The information on this page was translated from its Spanish equivalent. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vellica 25 BC 20s BC conflicts Battles involving the Roman Empire Battles of antiquity Battles of the Cantabrian Wars Battles in Castile and León

Location of the Battle

The battle

See also

References