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{{short description|Ancient Roman city in Hispania Tarraconensis}}
{{Primary sources|date=February 2024}}
'''Augusta Bilbilis''' was a [[city]] (or [[municipium]]) founded by the [[ancient Rome|Romans]] in the province of [[Hispania Tarraconensis]].<ref>See ''Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World'', Map 25, D4.</ref> It was the birthplace of famous poet [[Marcus Valerius Martialis|Martial]] {{Circa|40 AD}}. The modern town of [[Calatayud]] was founded near this Roman site.

Recent excavations have uncovered many of the remains visible today which dominate the surrounding area and are testament to the city's rich past.
[[File:Ciudad romana de Bilbilis, Calatayud, España 2012-05-16, DD 05.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Forum]]

==History==

===Earliest phase and origins===
The indigenous Celtiberian settlement<ref>Strabo, Geographia (Hispania) III 4, 13</ref><ref>Claudius Ptolomaeus, Geographia II 6, 57</ref> of Bilbilis was situated on the heights of [[Cerro de Bambola]]<ref>St. Paulinus of Nola (carm. 10,223f.)</ref> and part of [[San Paterno]], lying to the North of ancient [[Segeda]] and 60&nbsp;km SW of the Roman colony of Col. [[Caesaraugusta]] (modern [[Zaragoza]]) in NE internal Spain.
Bilbilis was famous for its metalworking.<ref>Martial 1,49,4; 4,55,11; 12,18,9.</ref>

[[File:Carte des villes voisines de Salduie pendant l'Antiquité.svg|thumb|Neighbouring towns in antiquity]]
Its inhabitants belonged to the group of the Celtic tribes of [[Hispania Citerior]] known as the [[Lusones]] tribe, of which Bilbilis was their capital. Their earliest coin issue includes a male head facing right, with dolphin to the left of the portrait on the obverse, while the reverse depicts a horseman carrying a spear and the inscription ''Bilbilis''. These date from the late 2nd to the early 1st century BC and a number of these form part of the [[Ancient Iberian coinage|Iberian coin]] collection in the [[British Museum]].<ref>See ''Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum '' (SNG) Vol IX. The British Museum. Nos. 858–867</ref>

The first contact between the eventual conquerors of the area, the Romans, and the Lusones occurred around the 2nd century BC, when [[Quintus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 179 BC)|Quintus Fulvius Flaccus]] journeyed from the Mediterranean coast of Spain into the hinterland, a region referred to as [[Celtiberians|Celtiberia]]. It was not until the 1st century, however, that Roman culture, language and customs, gradually began to spread into the hinterland with the indigenous cultures taking on many and varied aspects of Roman life while still maintaining aspects of their own distinct cultures.
[[File:Ciudad romana de Bilbilis, Calatayud, España 2012-05-16, DD 06.JPG|thumb|Wall and remains of buildings.]]

===The development of the city===
With the pacification of Hispania and the death of [[Julius Caesar]], [[Augustus]] embarked on a series of administrative reforms including the Conventus of Bilbilis. The main road from [[Emerita Augusta]] to Caesaraugusta passed near and benefitted Bilbilis. The city was given the status of ''Municipium'' becoming Augusta Bilbilis and thus enjoyed the many privileges under Roman law, including bestowing Roman citizenship on all its inhabitants. Monumentalisation of civic and urban spaces characterise the Augustan period.

Coins were also minted in the city with "Augusta Bilbilis" on the reverse along with the governor's name. There were 10 minted under Augustus, four under [[Tiberius]] and one under [[Caligula]]. The most intriguing coin is one naming Lucius Aelius [[Sejanus]] as consul on which COS (consul) was stamped inside a garland of oak leaves (the ''[[Civic Crown|corona civica]]'') under Tiberius on the reverse.

The town must have flourished with Sejanus as benefactor, but was ultimately hurt with his demise when he was proved to be a traitor. All statues and monuments were subject to "damnatio memoriae" along with the coinage. Most of the coins were of the "as" or semis variety which were filed or stamped to erase his name from memory. Some very rare coins have his name still legible. Dr. [[Paul L. Maier]] puts forth a thought-provoking history of how Sejanus played a role in the life of Jesus in his book ''Pontius Pilate''{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}. It seems{{to whom?|date=January 2025}} Sejanus was in a powerful position as co-emperor{{what?|date=January 2025}} to appoint [[Pontius Pilate|Pilate]] to [[Judaea]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} as Tiberius was in retirement on the Island of [[Capri]]. After Sejanus' fall, his family and supporters were hunted down and eliminated for years to come. This raises the question of why Pilate, a hard and tough governor, caved in under Jewish request to hand over Jesus to be crucified. "You are no friend of Caesar" was all it took.{{dubious|date=January 2025}} Pilate knew his head was on the block, and he was recalled to Rome two years later to answer charges but Tiberius died as Pilate took the long winter route.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The famous and eminent poet Martial was born in Bilbilis in 38–41 AD<ref name=brit>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martial-Roman-poet |access-date=February 22, 2024 |title=Martial |first=Herbert Henry |last=Huxley |series=Encyclopaedia Britannica |archive-date=February 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202233447/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martial-Roman-poet |url-status=live }}</ref> and romanticised his provincial upbringing. He often praised his own country in his poems, for example the sulphurous springs of [[Aquae Bilbilitanorum]]<ref>Martial 1,49,9</ref> situated approximately 24&nbsp;km west on the Roman main road which are still used as spas ([[Alhama de Aragón]]). One of his finest poems<ref>Epigram 1.49</ref> celebrates a visit by his friend and fellow citizen Licinianus to Bilbilis. He moved to Rome when he was twenty-four years old; he stayed there more than thirty-four years and then came back to Bilbilis for three years. Finally, he went back to Rome where he published his last book (10th) and died in the year 103 AD.<ref name=brit/>

The city's heyday was the 1st century. It declined rapidly{{why?|date=January 2025}} in the 2nd century AD and by the 3rd century it was half-deserted.<ref>Itinerarium Antonini 437,3 and 439,1</ref>
[[File:Bilbilis - Teatro.jpg|thumb|right|The theatre.]]
[[File:Calatayud - Museo de Calatayud - Friso del Pavo Real-2.jpg|thumb|Fresco from domus 3, insula I, 1st c. BC (Catalayud Museum)]]

==The city and its buildings==
The city was laid out in Roman fashion through many costly and complex construction projects. The topography of the terrain imposed a terraced layout with steep streets, hills and ramps, in contrast to the usual rectangular grid of a Roman town. Communication between terraces was achieved through ramps for people and vehicles to move through twisting paths adapted to the slope of the hills.

The new buildings allowed the ''Municipium'' to become the political, administrative, economic and social centre of the region. To perform these functions an urban complex consisting of arcaded square, temple, basilica and curia, and [[Roman theatre (structure)|theatre]] was built. [[Roman baths|Baths]] were also built, and a complex [[nymphaeum]] based on a network of hydraulic tanks adapted to the contour of the land that provided the city with a permanent water supply.

The middle part of the city was reserved for the main monuments, the [[Forum (Roman)|forum]] and theatre. Towards this area converged the two main access roads from the gates located in the city walls, one next to the river [[Jalón (river)|Jalón]] and another near the theatre.

Many beautiful frescoes from the [[thermae]] (baths) and from town houses ([[domus]]) can be seen in the [[Museo de Calatayud]].{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Calatayud - Museo de Calatayud - Cubiculo.jpg|thumb|Cubiculum (bedroom) from Domus 2, Insula I, 50 BC (Calatayud Museum)]]

===The forum===
The forum is a practically square area located in front of the temple in the upper part of the city and is decorated with marble and statues, and framed by porticos, a [[basilica]], [[curia]], and [[crypto-porticus]].

It was completed during the reign of Emperor [[Tiberius]], although there were subsequent changes in the Trajanic period.

===The theatre===
The theatre was conceived as a whole with the forum to which it is linked by a series of gates and corridors. Its layout has two floors with Corinthian capitals on both, and takes advantage of the natural terrain.
It must have been intended for shows of regional character, since its capacity of around 4,500 spectators far exceeds the needs of the small town estimated{{by whom?|date=January 2025}} to have had 3,500 inhabitants.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Ciudad romana de Bilbilis, Calatayud, España 2012-05-17, DD 04.jpg|thumb|Thermal baths]]
[[File:Calatayud - Museo de Calatayud - Decoración termas.JPG|thumb|Fresco from the thermae (Calatayud Museum)]]

===The baths===
These are situated on a hillside and surrounded by several cisterns that supplied water. The rooms of these springs consisted of a raised pool in the [[caldarium]], latrines etc. Many rooms were decorated with high quality frescoes probably made by a team of Italian artists who toured several places in the Ebro valley.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

==Exhibits in the Museum of Calatayud==
Much of the contents of the Museum of Calatayud consists of archaeological remains from Bilbilis. These include picture groups, the coin collection from the mint and a sculpture collection of portraits of the Julio-Claudian imperial family that had been found in the theatre area. Among them of particular interest is the Augustus "capite velato" found in 2009, one of the few examples of this official portrait found in Hispania.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
[[File:Museo Provincial de Zaragoza - PC301893.jpg|thumb|Marble bust of emperor Claudius (41-51 AD) from Bilbilis (Zaragoza museum]]
{{Coord|41|22|53|N|1|36|11|W|display=title}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* http://catedu.es/aragonromano/bilbilen.htm

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[[Category:Roman sites in Spain]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Spain]]
[[Category:Calatayud]]
[[Category:History of Aragon]]
[[Category:Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Zaragoza]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Aragon]]