Uxama Argaela was a

Celtiberia The Celtiberians were a group of Celts and Celticized peoples inhabiting an area in the central-northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BC. They were explicitly mentioned as being Celts by several classic authors (e.g. Strabo) ...

n, and subsequently

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, city located on El Castro hill, overlooking the present town of El Burgo de Osma in

Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populatio ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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 Quintus Sertorius ( – 73 or 72 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian Peninsula. Defying the regime of Sulla, Sertorius became the independent ruler of Hispania for m ...

against Rome, and was destroyed by Pompey the Great in 72 BC, although it was rebuilt shortly afterwards. According to Pliny and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

, 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 North Region, Portugal, northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now ...

and became a ''

Municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ('duty holders'), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the privileges ...

'' under

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

, after which began an important monumentalisation process that involved the construction of a small forum, a series of large urban villas, city walls, and an industrial district on the banks of the river Ucero. In time of the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

in the 6th century, the bishops attended the

Councils of Toledo From the 5th century to the 7th century AD, about thirty synods, variously counted, were held at Toledo (''Concilia toletana'') in what would come to be part of Spain. The earliest, directed against Priscillianism, assembled in 400. The "thir ...

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. Uxama aquaduct

There is also a modest museum, open only in the summer months, about 2 kilometers from the old fort along the N-122. Finds are numerous and significant, and are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, the Numantine Museum in

and the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

in Toledo. They include sculptures, Roman capitals, iron weapons, including inscriptions, republican and imperial 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