BMCR 2009.06.53: Slootjes on Panzram, Staedte im Wandel: bauliche Inszenierung und literarische Stilisierung lokaler Eliten auf der Iberischen Halbinsel

Sabine Panzram (ed.), Staedte im Wandel: bauliche Inszenierung und
literarische Stilisierung lokaler Eliten auf der Iberischen Halbinsel:
Akten des interntionalen Kolloquiums des Arbeitsbereiches fuer Alte
Geschichte des Historischen Seminars der Universitaet Hamburg und des
Seminars fuer Klassische Archaeologie der Universitaet Trier im
Warburg-Haus Hamburg, 20. - 22. Oktober 2005. Geschichte und Kultur der
iberischen Welt; Bd. 5.  Hamburg/Muenster:  Lit, 2007.  Pp. vi, 400.
ISBN 9783825808563.  EUR 39.90.

Reviewed by Danielle Slootjes, Radboud University Nijmegen
Word count:  1445 words
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Table of Contents
(http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy0803/2008386279.html)

Scholars are often highly specialized in one particular field and time
period. The aim of the international colloquium, Staedte im Wandel.
Bauliche Inszenierung und literarische Stilisierung lokaler Eliten auf
der Iberischen Halbinsel, held in 2005 in Hamburg, was to bring
together different specialists for an interdisciplinary approach. A
group of ancient historians, archaeologists of the Classical and Early
Christian periods, engineers, medievalists, Islamic specialists and
historians of the early modern period investigated the cities of the
Iberian Peninsula, from early settlement in the eighth-seventh
centuries B.C. through the 1700s. Literary sources, inscriptions and
material culture were at the centre of their discussions, and the
results of many archaeological expeditions of recent years have also
allowed for much more comparative research between cities. The results
of their papers are presented in fourteen articles in this volume,
edited by Sabine Panzram.

For an understanding of the functioning of the cities and their
Stadtbild (defined by Panzram as the concretion of social structures
and cultural value systems in a specific era) two themes were chosen as
the main threads throughout the volume. First, there is the
investigation of the architectural settings of cities, which helps to
understand the defensive, administrative, social and economic functions
of these cities (p.3). Analysis of individual monuments furthers our
understanding of these functions. Second, an examination of the
positions and (self-)representation of members of the local elites is
another way to perceive the functioning of cities. The ways in which
local elites are presented in literary and other written sources such
as inscriptions are valuable for such an examination.

The first article, by Niemeyer on the early Phoenician settlements on
the Iberian peninsula can be considered as an introduction to the other
articles and the two main themes. Although Niemeyer concludes that the
early settlements should not be seen as exemplary or prototypical for
the later cities, it does make sense to start out a survey of the
cities in the region with a discussion of its earliest settlements. The
other essays in the volume are then presented in three parts: nine
articles on the Roman period between Republic and Late Antiquity; two
articles on the period between the Conquista and the Reconquista
(711-1492); finally two articles on period of the Spanish Golden Age
(1492-1700).

The section on the Roman period is the most extensive and central part
of the volume. Pina Polo's article opens the section by concentrating
on the early involvement of the Romans on the peninsula. He shows that
the ancient evidence does not allow us to go so far as to speak of a
master plan by the Romans by which they alone dictated the development
and urbanisation of the region. The events that led to changes in the
region should also be connected to a change in mentality of the local
inhabitants. The following five contributions each focus on a
particular part of a region, a city or even monument for a thorough
investigation. The joint article by Abascal, Almagro-Gorbea and
Cebria/n discusses the process of monumentalization in Segobriga, which
acquired the status of municipium with Latin Rights in 15 B.C. The
urban changes after this upgrade led to many euergetic activities of
the local elite and show how the city became important within its
region. Haley concentrates on fiscal and administrative issues in
Baetica to show how cities and individuals functioned within a province
which was known for its prosperity. In an examination of the elites in
the colonia Patricia, Ventura Villaneuva attempts to reconstruct a
particular day in the lives of its inhabitants. Ventura Villaneuva
follows Annaeus Seneca on the day of arrival of the proconsul Publius
Petronius Turpilianus in 8 B.C. when the provincial oath of loyalty to
the emperor had to be taken. After the oath the season of the conventus
Cordubensis started off with a first court case in which the famous
rhetorician Marcus Porcius Latro appeared. The experiment certainly
brings to life the excitement felt on such an important day for the
province.

Two articles follow that take the reader into the imperial period and
the involvement of the emperors at the local level. Ahrens discusses
how the patria of Trajan and Hadrian, Italica, after its upgrade to
colonia, was expanded by the development of the so-called nova urbs, an
area almost three times as large as the original city. However, despite
large building projects, this part of the city turned out to be a too
ambitious project as it was given up for mostly unknown reasons by the
end of the second century. Ruiz de Arbulo offers an interpretation of
the provincial forum in Tarraco, with a particular focus on the actual
site from an archaeological point of view. The temple for Augustus,
which was restored at the time of Hadrian's visit to Tarraco in 122/123
A.D., was the most significant building in the forum and functioned as
a centre for several official activities at provincial level such as
court cases of the governor or meetings of the provincial assembly.

After several articles with archaeological or architectural focus, the
contributions by Panzram and Mateos Cruz at first sight seem not to
correspond as well to the other essays, because they discuss the role
and influence of Christianization in Spain in the fourth century.
Panzram investigates a specific instance in the development of
Christianity: the meeting of nineteen bishops in Elvira in the early
fourth century for which the evidence survived as part of the so-called
Concilium Eliberritanum. Almost half of the 81 canones that were
decided upon at this meeting dealt with sexual morality. Mateos Cruz,
on the other hand, focuses on the process of Christianization and
attempts to investigate the ways in which Christianity functioned
alongside paganism in the cities in the fourth century, as Mateos Cruz
regards this period as one of transition in religious life. He argues
for a minimal influence of Christianity on the physiognomy of cities in
the fourth century, whereas in the fifth century Christian elements
seem to appear in architecture, at least in Spain.

The section on the Roman period ends with Arce's contribution on cities
and especially citizenship in the fourth through the seventh centuries
for which he discusses the late antique city in Hispania and the ways
in which citizens experienced both their city and their citizenship,
with emphasis on change and continuity.

The section on the medieval period in Spain opens with an article by
Ewert which presents a comparison between three Spanish Islamic cities
which are different in many aspects: Co/rdoba (a religious and
political center), Almeria (a port) and Madinat az-Zahra (an imperial
residence). As Ewert unexpectedly passed away, his contribution is one
that he had published before in a volume edited by Joachim Henning
(2002, Europa im 10. Jahrhundert). The second article on medieval Spain
is by Vones who shows how the kingdom of Leo/n can be analyzed as a
center of ideological self-representation in the 10th and 11th
centuries.

Finally, the part on the Spanish Golden Age consists first of a
contribution by Pietschmann on the relation between city and rulership
in the 16th century, in which he examines the role of cities, elites
and the church in the three Christian empires on the Iberian peninsula
(Arago/n, Portugal, Castile). Particular attention is given to the
revolution of the Castilian cities (Comunidades). The final article is
by Wohlfeil who investigates in what ways coins can offer a perspective
on Spain's history regarding the administration, legitimation and
self-representation of rulership.

For whom is this collection of essays valuable? In principle the volume
is of interest for all those who are working on the history of the
Iberian Peninsula. Also, those who concentrate their work on cities and
local elites in other parts of the Roman Empire, Medieval or early
modern Europa might find some of the articles worthwile for a
comparison to their own findings as well. However, the uneven
distribution of the articles (by far the most the largest part
discussing Roman times) makes the volume much more attractive to
scholars of the ancient world than those of later periods. I even
wonder to what extent the contributions on Spain of the medieval period
and the Golden Age are visible to other scholars of those periods as
the title of the volume gives no indication of the inclusion of these
periods.  If, for instance, someone is interested in numismatics of the
early modern Europe, how easily would he or she find the contribution
in this volume on that topic? Visibility is key to scholarly work. This
seems to be a point to take into consideration for anyone editing a
volume with such diverse contributions.