De la provincia Celtiberia a la qūrā de Santabariyya: Arqueología de la Antigüedad tardía en la provincia de Cuenca (siglos V-VIII d.C.)

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.

English summary: 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. Spanish description: La posicion central de la provincia de Cuenca ha sido el factor determinante en su relacion con Toledo, la capital del reino visigodo. Esta situacion fue la causa tambien de que, desde mediados del siglo VI, se viera directamente afectada por algunos de los episodios historicos mas relevantes del momento: la fundacion de la ciudad regia de Recopolis, el establecimiento del monasterio Servitano, la transformacion de Toledo en sede metropolitana de la provincia cartaginesa y las campanas militares contra los ejercitos imperiales. De forma paralela, las excavaciones arqueologicas documentan un proceso de desestructuracion de los antiguos centros urbanos a favor de pequenas poblaciones de su territorio. Este proceso se resolvio con un cambio de centros de poder hacia otras ciudades apoyadas por el poder politico de Toledo: Toledo mismo en el caso de Segobriga, Recopolis en el caso de Arcavica e Illunum en detrimento de Valeria. De este modo, las ciudades romanas quedaron reducidas servir como referentes simbolicos de las pequenas poblaciones que se desarrollaron a la sombra de los antiguos centros urbanos. El presente trabajo se completa con el estudio de la coleccion arqueologica procedente de la provincia, que se ha dividido en tres grandes grupos: escultura monumental y epigrafia, producciones ceramicas y artes industriales. El primer grupo esta constituido principalmente por los hallazgos realizados en las excavaciones de Cabeza de Griego (Segobriga). Por otro lado, la mayoria de las producciones de ceramica corresponden a vasijas colocadas como depositos funerarios. Debido a la ausencia de excavaciones, la ceramica de cocina y de almacenamiento apenas aparece representada, mientras que hay una sobrerrepresentacion de tipos destinados a libaciones u ofrendas. Finalmente, la mayoria de los materiales de las artes industriales corresponden a elementos de la moda latino-mediterranea o del estilo bizantino del siglo VII. La ausencia casi total de materiales correspondientes a la moda pontico-danubiana es sumamente significativa.

• By (author) Rafael Barroso Cabrera