ABSTRACT
The transformation of the Roman Empire in the course of the Early and Late Imperial periods has been the subject of much debate in recent years. In the case of the provinces of the Hispaniae, prosperity (Figure 12.1), in so far as it is evident in the monumentalization of towns, was the product of two key periods, the reign of Augustus (31 bc–ad 14) and the reigns of the Flavian Emperors (ad 69–96). This ushers in a period, namely the reign of the Emperor Trajan (ad 98–117), which is still little understood in the Iberian Peninsula. In the broader sense, however, it should not be considered so much the moment of the Empire’s greatest expansion, as the point at which continual obligations and conquests ultimately led to the collapse of a form of government. The reign of Marcus Aurelius (ad 161–80) represents a contrast with respect to previous periods. On the one hand, it can be said that it saw the generalization of the cultural achievements of Hadrian’s reign (ad 117–38). On the other, however, it witnessed wars on the frontiers and military problems in Britain and in the Straits of Gibraltar. Map of the Hispanic provinces of the Late Empire showing the location of places cited in the text. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315812618/236f5dd7-038d-4683-befd-a58e2c9e1a96/content/fig12_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
