Hispania and its Economy with Special Regard to the Kalendarium Vegetianum

Abstract

The Iberian Peninsula was considered an extremely important territory for the Roman Empire in every aspect; it was a significant strategic area in terms of both natural resources and defence. By the 2nd century BC, the provinces of Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior were organised in a part of the Iberian Peninsula, where they were stationed primarily for military purposes. Subsequently, the economic potential of the area was exploited. During the Augustan period, the administrative system was transformed by several reforms. The new system took into account the experiences of the past two centuries, and when establishing new territorial units, an important aspect was how to transform from a military, economic, and/or social system into a new administrative one. This paper seeks to answer the question of how the establishment of the renewed administration was related to the previous political situation, and I will examine the impact of all this on the economic exploitation of the area. In the latter case, I pay special attention to the impact of Hispania’s two main economic sectors, mining and trade, on the monetary economy of the region and the empire. When analysing the empire’s revenues, it is inevitable to examine the types of taxes and their amounts, as well as the analysis of local and long-distance economic relations, such as the examination of trading associations and monetary institutions.