Aracillum facts for kids

Aracillum was a strong, fortified city belonging to the Cantabri people. It was the site of a major battle during the Cantabrian Wars around 26 BC. In this war, the powerful Roman Empire fought against the local Cantabrian tribes.

Today, experts believe Aracillum was located in what is now Cantabria, Spain. There are two main ideas about its exact location: one is Aradillos, near Reinosa and the Roman city of Julióbriga; the other is the ancient fort (called a castro) at La Espina del Gallego in the Mountains of the Shield. Roman historians also mentioned that Aracillum belonged to a tribe called the blendii.

What Roman Writers Said About Aracillum

Roman writers often described important events. Two famous ones, Floro and Orosio, wrote about Aracillum.

• Floro wrote that "the fortress of Aracillum fought back with great force; however, it was captured." This shows how strong the city was and how hard the Cantabri fought.
• Orosio also wrote about it, saying that "the fortress of Racilium (which is likely Aracillum), although it resisted with great strength and for a long time, was finally taken and destroyed." This tells us the battle was long and fierce.

Where Was Aracillum?

Finding the exact spot of ancient cities can be tricky! For Aracillum, there are two main ideas about where this important fort was located. For a long time, most researchers agreed on one place. But new discoveries in Cantabria have led to a second, newer idea.

The Old Idea: Aradillos

• Many historians believed Aracillum was in the south of Cantabria, in an area called Aradillos (Campoo de Enmedio).
• As early as 1768, a writer named Father Enrique Flórez suggested that the name "Aradillos" sounded very similar to "Aracillo."
• Other experts like Aureliano Fernández-Guerra and Adolf Schulten also agreed. They thought it was near Reinosa, specifically on a 1200-meter mountain close to the modern town of Aradillos.
• More recently, Eutimio Martino pointed to old Roman roads and ditches in the area. He suggested that a plateau there was a Roman position against a nearby hill called El Raposo, after the Romans had passed the Aracillum fort.

The New Idea: La Espina del Gallego

• Recently, new archaeological finds have created a different idea.
• Eduardo Peralta Labrador and his team found a pre-Roman Cantabrian fort and Roman army camps high up in the mountains at La Espina del Gallego (in the Mountains of the Shield, Cantabria).
• This fort is about 1000 meters high. Peralta describes it as a "great fortress" with "remains of an acropolis protected by lines of walls, and imposing walls."
• Near this main fort, there are four more pre-Roman forts and at least three Roman camps.
• Archaeologists have also found Roman items there, like a Roman coin (a denarius) from 42 AD, a catapult projectile, and a Roman soldier's spear (a pilum).
• Peralta believes La Espina del Gallego fits the descriptions from Floro and Orosio better than Aradillos. He says Aradillos is "militarily indefensible."
• He also argues that La Espina del Gallego was the best natural way to get to the coast. It was also close to Portus Victoriae, where Roman reinforcements arrived by ship.
• These sites at La Espina del Gallego show some of the first archaeological proof of the Cantabrian Wars in the northern Cantabrian Mountains.

See also

In Spanish: Aracillum para niños