Hispania Balearica
Encyclopedia
Hispania Balearica was a Roman province encompassing the Balearic Islands
off the east coast of modern Spain. Formerly a part of Hispania Tarraconensis
, Balearica gained its autonomy due to its geographic separation and economic independence from the mainland.
and southern Gaul
. In 123 BC, a consul for that year, Q. Caecilius Metellus conquered the islands, easily routing and subduing the population. While not being a great victory militarily, Metellus received a triumph
(parade) in 121 BC, and the surname Balearicus for bringing the islands into the Roman fold.
The Roman historians Florus
, Orosius and Strabo
provide good accounts of Balearicus’ activities in 123–122. Most importantly, they describe why the islands were invaded and why it happened in 123 BC. The answer is that the islands were suddenly overrun by pirates escaping the Roman campaigns in Transalpine Gaul in 126 and Sardinia in 125 BC. The Baleares were the last place for them to hide in the western Mediterranean. Control of the islands facilitated supply and trade from Spain to Italy and vice versa, they were also very fertile. In addition, 123 BC was the year that Gaius Gracchus
held the powerful position of tribune
. His fortune lay in clients he had in Spain and Asia, so he had immense interest in seeing the islands captured and pacified. Although other motives – military, economic and political – may have played a subsidiary part in the decision, the islands were annexed in 123 BC to complete the pacification of Transalpine Gaul and Sardinia who were resisting due to pirate influences.
, and Pollentia
. The two settlements attest to the importance of the islands being firmly under Roman control. There is some debate as to where these settlers came from, as it is unlikely there were this many Roman
civilians available and willing to colonize Majorca from the mainland at this date. The most likely explanation is that they were veterans from the wars in Spain and Roman-Spanish hybridae. Pollentia
was located on the northern side and served as a port for vessels sailing to or from Gaul
and Hispania Tarraconensis
. The larger settlement, Palmaria (Palma), had a large and sheltered harbor perfectly situated for ships riding the trade winds from Baetica and Mauretania Caesariensis
.
The Balearicas had much to trade. Pliny the Elder
made a journey to the islands and described many features of their economy. They produced superior wheat compared to the rest of Spain (with Balearic wheat, one modius
of grain yielded 35 pounds of bread; Baetic wheat, 22 pounds). Also described was a trade in snails and fine wine that was well received by Romans
with Balearica soon becoming a center of wine production. The sea was rich with oysters, tunny fish and mackerel. The bafii (dye-works) in the Baleares served the wool manufacturers of Baetica on route to markets in Italy and the east. Stemming from this, the islands were rich in red ochre
(earth colored with iron oxide
), used to make red pigment for frescos.
the Balearicans requested help in stopping a plague of rabbits for which the Emperor dispatched troops.
Hispania Balearica became an independent province during the reign of Emperor Diocletian sometime after 284 AD. Previously, under Constantine I
the empire was split into four prefects with Spain being controlled from Trier
in Gaul
. Under Diocletian
, sweeping reforms of the provincial administration was enacted, designed to separate military and civic authority. Also, to reduce the power of other officials, the provinces were systematically reduced in size. All provinces were now under the direct control of the Emperor. All officials were chosen by him including the legati pro praetore, men of praetor
ian rank who ran civic affairs in the province, and curators who ran the municipalities within provinces. Balearica was separated because it was not reliant on the mainland for any staples and had special needs as a trading center that were more difficult to fulfil as a municipality than as a province. By the time of Diocletian, the islands population was over 30,000 and was granted its own Roman Bishop in 418 AD.
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
off the east coast of modern Spain. Formerly a part of Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
, Balearica gained its autonomy due to its geographic separation and economic independence from the mainland.
Conquest
Prior to the Roman occupation, the island was settled by the native Spanish and then by Greeks. The islands, because of there being two excellent harbors on the largest island, Majorca, were a base for pirates from SardiniaSardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and southern Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. In 123 BC, a consul for that year, Q. Caecilius Metellus conquered the islands, easily routing and subduing the population. While not being a great victory militarily, Metellus received a triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
(parade) in 121 BC, and the surname Balearicus for bringing the islands into the Roman fold.
The Roman historians Florus
Florus
Florus, Roman historian, lived in the time of Trajan and Hadrian.He compiled, chiefly from Livy, a brief sketch of the history of Rome from the foundation of the city to the closing of the temple of Janus by Augustus . The work, which is called Epitome de T...
, Orosius and Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
provide good accounts of Balearicus’ activities in 123–122. Most importantly, they describe why the islands were invaded and why it happened in 123 BC. The answer is that the islands were suddenly overrun by pirates escaping the Roman campaigns in Transalpine Gaul in 126 and Sardinia in 125 BC. The Baleares were the last place for them to hide in the western Mediterranean. Control of the islands facilitated supply and trade from Spain to Italy and vice versa, they were also very fertile. In addition, 123 BC was the year that Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
held the powerful position of tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
. His fortune lay in clients he had in Spain and Asia, so he had immense interest in seeing the islands captured and pacified. Although other motives – military, economic and political – may have played a subsidiary part in the decision, the islands were annexed in 123 BC to complete the pacification of Transalpine Gaul and Sardinia who were resisting due to pirate influences.
Economy
The territory was extremely valuable economically. So much so that Balearicus settled 3,000 ‘Romans’ on the islands in two settlements on Majorca, PalmaPalma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, and Pollentia
Pollentia
thumb|250px|Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo.Pollentia was an ancient city the left bank of the Tanaro, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy....
. The two settlements attest to the importance of the islands being firmly under Roman control. There is some debate as to where these settlers came from, as it is unlikely there were this many Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
civilians available and willing to colonize Majorca from the mainland at this date. The most likely explanation is that they were veterans from the wars in Spain and Roman-Spanish hybridae. Pollentia
Pollentia
thumb|250px|Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo.Pollentia was an ancient city the left bank of the Tanaro, known today as Pollenzo, a frazione of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy....
was located on the northern side and served as a port for vessels sailing to or from Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
and Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia, was the province of Hispania Baetica...
. The larger settlement, Palmaria (Palma), had a large and sheltered harbor perfectly situated for ships riding the trade winds from Baetica and Mauretania Caesariensis
Mauretania Caesariensis
Mauretania Caesariensis was a Roman province located in northwestern Africa. It was the easternmost of the North African Roman provinces, mainly in present Algeria, with its capital at Caesarea , now Cherchell.-Historical background:In the first century AD, Roman...
.
The Balearicas had much to trade. Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
made a journey to the islands and described many features of their economy. They produced superior wheat compared to the rest of Spain (with Balearic wheat, one modius
Modius
Modius is the nomen of the Roman gens Modia.Modius is also a Roman unit of dry measure, approximately equal to one peck....
of grain yielded 35 pounds of bread; Baetic wheat, 22 pounds). Also described was a trade in snails and fine wine that was well received by Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
with Balearica soon becoming a center of wine production. The sea was rich with oysters, tunny fish and mackerel. The bafii (dye-works) in the Baleares served the wool manufacturers of Baetica on route to markets in Italy and the east. Stemming from this, the islands were rich in red ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
(earth colored with iron oxide
Iron oxide
Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. All together, there are sixteen known iron oxides and oxyhydroxides.Iron oxides and oxide-hydroxides are widespread in nature, play an important role in many geological and biological processes, and are widely utilized by humans, e.g.,...
), used to make red pigment for frescos.
Slingers
Balearica was also known for its fighting slingers who were heavily recruited as mercenaries by the Romans. Their expertise as slingers is said by historians such as Posidorius, Diodoros and Strabo to be the result of their being made, while children, to earn their daily bread by slinging it off a post from many paces away depending on age. Some slingers fought for Caesar in the Gallic War, and against him at Massalia. The islands are named for their famed fighters - balearica, meaning land of the slinger (ballo) in Greek.Government
Before being separated, Hispania Balearica was the fourth district of the Tarraconensis with a native local government headed by a council. They served to provide for local needs and as a link directly to Rome. During the reign of AugustusAugustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
the Balearicans requested help in stopping a plague of rabbits for which the Emperor dispatched troops.
Hispania Balearica became an independent province during the reign of Emperor Diocletian sometime after 284 AD. Previously, under Constantine I
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
the empire was split into four prefects with Spain being controlled from Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. Under Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, sweeping reforms of the provincial administration was enacted, designed to separate military and civic authority. Also, to reduce the power of other officials, the provinces were systematically reduced in size. All provinces were now under the direct control of the Emperor. All officials were chosen by him including the legati pro praetore, men of praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
ian rank who ran civic affairs in the province, and curators who ran the municipalities within provinces. Balearica was separated because it was not reliant on the mainland for any staples and had special needs as a trading center that were more difficult to fulfil as a municipality than as a province. By the time of Diocletian, the islands population was over 30,000 and was granted its own Roman Bishop in 418 AD.