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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 today are the provinces of Cantabria, Asturias and León, in northwestern Spain. Under the reign of Augustus, Rome waged a bloody conflict against the last independent nations of Hispania: the Cantabri, the Astures, and the Gallaeci. These warlike peoples presented fierce resistance to Roman domination: ten years of war and eight legions with their auxiliary troops —more than 50,000 soldiers in total— were needed to subdue the region. The Emperor himself moved to Segisama (modern Sasamon, Burgos), to supervise the campaign personally. The major fighting was completed in 19 BC, although there were minor rebellions until 16 BC and the Romans had to station two legions (X ''Gemina'' and IIII ''Macedonica'') there for seventy more years. ==Antecedents== The Cantabri first appear in history in earlier wars in Iberia, where they served as mercenaries on various sides. In this way, in the years preceding the wars in Cantabria and Asturias, the Roman military became familiar with the warlike characteristics of the peoples of northern Hispania. There are accounts, for instance, of Cantabrians in the army of Hannibal during the Second Punic War. Additionally, there is evidence that they fought alongside the Vaccaei in 151 BC, and helped break the Roman siege of Numantia. It is also believed that there were Cantabrian troops present in the Sertorian Wars. According to Julius Caesar's own testimony, there were Cantabrians at the battle of Ilerda in 49 BC. With all these antecedents, the Cantabrians began to be known throughout the Roman Empire. Roman troops even lost one of their standards to them, something inexplicable and humiliating in those days. Such were the disasters and the embarrassments that, although the Roman historians justified the campaigns as retribution for Cantabrian incursions in the Roman-controlled Meseta Central, there must have been a certain lust after Asturian gold and Cantabrian iron as well. Finally, in 26 BC, the Emperor himself, Caesar Augustus, went to Hispania, establishing his base in Segisama. The Astures entered the historical record in the late 3rd century BC, being listed among the Spanish mercenaries of Hasdrubal Barca’s army at the battle of Metaurus River in 207 BC.〔Livy, ''Ad Urbe Condita'', 27: 43–49.〕〔Polybius, ''Istorion'', 11: 1–3.〕 After the 2nd Punic War, their history is less clear. Rarely mentioned in the sources regarding the Lusitanian, Celtiberian or Roman Civil Wars of the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, they re-emerged from a relative obscurity just prior to the outbreak of the first Astur-Cantabrian war in the late 1st century BC.〔David Magie in ''Classical Philology'' 1920 gives the pertinent passages in Florus and Orosius and critically assesses and corrects the inconsistent topography of the sources.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cantabrian Wars」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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