How did the breakdown of Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula eventually result in the formation of a Visigothic kingdom with authority centralised in Toledo? This collection of essays challenges the view that local powers were straightforwardly subjugated to the expanding central power of the monarchy. Rather than interpret countervailing events as mere 'delays' in this inevitable process, the contributors to this book interrogate where these events came from, which causes can be uncovered and how much influence individual actors had in this process. What emerges is a story of contested interests seeking cooperation through institutions and social practices that were flexible enough to stabilise a system that was hierarchical yet mutually beneficial for multiple social groups. By examining the Visigothic settlement, the interplay between central and local power, the use of ethnic identity, projections of authority, and the role of the Church, this book articulates a model for understanding the formation of a large and important early medieval kingdom.

Gallaecia Gothica offers a new interpretation of the Argimundus rebellion, one of the most difficult challenges of Reccared’s reign. There are no specific details of how the conspiracy came about, but the throne was seriously threatened. The Chronicle of John of Biclaro underlined the gravity of this menace in his description of the punishment suffered by the rebel and his collaborators. His categorical condemnation of the attempted overthrow of the monarch is unlike that given to any other uprising narrated in the Chronicle, and it shows the importance that the abbot of Biclaro gave it in his narration. The fact that the Chronicle notes that Argimundus was not only a member of the Aula Regia but also a dux prouinciae (duke of a province), combined with the status of Gallaecia as a newly conquered province, suggests that this was not just a palace conspiracy, but a genuine provincial revolt which could have ruined the political settlement established by Leovigild and Reccared. However, it is difficult to prove Argimundus’ ultimate aim: to replace Reccared on the Visigothic throne or, on the contrary, to restore the old Suevic kingdom in Gallaecia. This book uses numismatic and archaeological evidence seems to suggest the latter view.

The central position of the province of Cuenca, Spain, was a decisive factor in its relationship with Toledo, the capital of the Visigothic kingdom. Also, its location meant that, from the middle of the 6th Century, it was directly affected by some of the most relevant historical episodes of those times: the foundation of the royal city of Reccopoli, the establishment of the Servitanus monastery, the transformation of Toledo as the metropolitan seat of the Carthaginian province and the military campaigns against the imperial forces. Parallel to this, archaeological excavations document a process of disrupting the old urban centres in favour of small populations within their municipal territory. This process was resolved with a shift of power centres towards other cities supported by the political power of Toledo: Toledo itself in the case of Segobriga, Reccopoli in the Arcavica’s case and Illunum to the detriment of Valeria. In this way, the ancient Roman cities were reduced to serve as a symbolic reference of the small villages that developed in the shadow of the old urban centres. This volume presents a historical and archaeological study of the province of Cuenca in Late Antiquity. The study concludes with an examination of the archaeological collection from the province, which has been divided into three large groups: monumental sculpture and epigraphic items, ceramic productions and metalwork arts. The first group is mainly constituted by the findings made in the excavations of Cabeza de Griego (Segobriga). Most of the pottery productions correspond to vessels placed as funerary deposits. Due to the absence of excavations, the ceramics for kitchen and storage use are hardly represented, whereas there is an overrepresentation of types destined for use as libations or offerings. Finally, most of the elements of industrial arts correspond to elements of the Latin-Mediterranean fashion or Byzantine style of the 7th Century. The almost total absence of materials corresponding to the Pontic-Danubian fashion also should be noted. | La posición central de la provincia de Cuenca ha sido el factor determinante en su relación con Toledo, la capital del reino visigodo. Esta situación fue la causa también de que, desde mediados del siglo VI, se viera directamente afectada por algunos de los episodios históricos más relevantes del momento: la fundación de la ciudad regia de Recópolis, el establecimiento del monasterio Servitano, la transformación de Toledo en sede metropolitana de la provincia cartaginesa y las campañas militares contra los ejércitos imperiales. De forma paralela, las excavaciones arqueológicas documentan un proceso de desestructuración de los antiguos centros urbanos a favor de pequeñas poblaciones de su territorio. Este proceso se resolvió con un cambio de centros de poder hacia otras ciudades apoyadas por el poder político de Toledo: Toledo mismo en el caso de Segóbriga, Recópolis en el caso de Arcávica e Illunum en detrimento de Valeria. De este modo, las ciudades romanas quedaron reducidas servir como referentes simbólicos de las pequeñas poblaciones que se desarrollaron a la sombra de los antiguos centros urbanos. El presente trabajo se completa con el estudio de la colección arqueológica procedente de la provincia, que se ha dividido en tres grandes grupos: escultura monumental y epigrafía, producciones cerámicas y artes industriales. El primer grupo está constituido principalmente por los hallazgos realizados en las excavaciones de Cabeza de Griego (Segóbriga). Por otro lado, la mayoría de las producciones de cerámica corresponden a vasijas colocadas como depósitos funerarios. Debido a la ausencia de excavaciones, la cerámica de cocina y de almacenamiento apenas aparece representada, mientras que hay una sobrerrepresentación de tipos destinados a libaciones u ofrendas. Finalmente, la mayoría de los materiales de las artes industriales corresponden a elementos de la moda latino-mediterránea o del estilo bizantino del siglo VII. La ausencia casi total de materiales correspondientes a la moda póntico-danubiana es sumamente significativa.

The Visigoth settlement in the Iberian Peninsula and its relationship with the archaeological record of the 5th-6th centuries AD continues to be one of the most controversial issues in Spanish archaeology. The controversy relates to politics as much as it relates to archaeological research with two points remaining particularly controversial: the alleged use of the Visigoth past by the Francoist intelligentsia as an ideological affirmation of the regime and the contribution of archaeologist Julio Martinez Santa-Olalla in supporting and enabling this re-interpretation of Visigothic archaeology. The purely archaeological aspect of the controversy relates to an archaeological interpretation, stemming from the ranks of the so-called New Archeology, of the Castilian necropoleis containing grave goods of Pontic-Danubian type. This interpretation places special emphasis on social and cultural phenomena above the ethnic criteria defended by the Vienna School. This volume approaches the ideological question that underlies these controversies, as well as their repercussions in the direction adopted by later archaeological investigations in relation to the history of Spain. The author attempts to deconstruct the work of Martinez Santa-Olalla and places it in the context of the scientific production of his time. At the same time, it relativizes the role played by the Visigoth period in the Francoist ideological construction. Once the discussion is framed in these terms, the author dedicates his study to a refutation of the cultural interpretation of the phenomenon of the Visigothic necropoleis of the Castilian plateau based on the archaeological data and by comparing this data with literary sources. The study also addresses two other historical problems that could be related to the Gothic settlement in the Castilian plateau: the creation of the bishopric of Segovia and the flourishing of the city of Toledo. | El asentamiento visigodo en la Peninsula Iberica y su relacion con el registro arqueologico de los siglos V-VI d.C. continua siendo en la actualidad una de las cuestiones mas controvertidas de la arqueologia espanola. Gran parte de esa controversia tiene que ver con aspectos que trascienden a la propia investigacion arqueologica y nos situan en el plano de la politica. Asi, a la hora de abordar el problema hay dos puntos que han resultado especialmente polemicos: la presunta utilizacion del pasado visigodo por parte de la intelectualidad franquista como afirmacion ideologica del regimen y la contribucion del arqueologo burgales Julio Martinez Santa-Olalla en la fijacion del esquema de arqueologia visigoda. Por otro lado, el aspecto puramente arqueologico de la controversia tiene que ver con la interpretacion que desde las filas de la denominada New Archaeology se viene realizando de las necropolis castellanas con ajuares de tipo pontico-danubiano. Dicha interpretacion hace especial hincapie en fenomenos sociales y culturales por encima de los criterios etnicos defendidos por la Escuela de Viena. El presente estudio aborda de forma lucida la cuestion ideologica que subyace detras de la polemica, asi como las repercusiones que ha tenido en la posterior direccion adoptada por la investigacion arqueologica en relacion con la propia historia de Espana. En este sentido, el autor realiza un ejercicio de deconstruccion de la figura de Martinez Santa-Olalla y lo situa en el contexto de la produccion cientifica de su epoca. Al mismo tiempo, relativiza el papel desempenado por el periodo visigodo en la construccion ideologica franquista. Una vez situada la discusion en estos terminos, el autor dedica su estudio a una refutacion de la interpretacion en clave cultural del fenomeno de las necropolis visigodas de la meseta castellana desde los propios datos arqueologicos y a partir del cotejo de estos datos con los testimonios que proporcionan las fuentes literarias. Ademas, el presente estudio aborda tambien otros dos problemas historicos que podrian estar relacionados con el asentamiento godo en la meseta castellana: la creacion de la sede episcopal segoviana y el auge de la ciudad de Toledo.

Tres usurpadores godos es un estudio sobre tres famosas usurpaciones de epoca visigoda. Se analiza en primer lugar la naturaleza del levantamiento del principe Hermenegildo (579-585), la guerra civil y el complejo contexto politico del momento, asi como las importantes implicaciones que se derivaron del conflicto. El segundo estudio aborda la rebelion del duque Argimundo a comienzos del reinado de Recaredo y las consecuencias que esta tuvo en el recien conquistado reino suevo. Destacado miembro del Aula Regia y dux prouinciae, Argimundus inicio una rebelion en la provincia Gallaecia que pudo haber arruinado la obra politica construida por Leovigildo y Recaredo. Por ultimo, se analiza la figura del duque Theudemirus, uno de los grandes magnates del reino de Toledo de finales del siglo VII, su actuacion dentro de la complicada situacion politica visigoda y el papel que desempeno en la transmision del poder entre visigodos y arabes a la caida del reino de Toledo.