LibGuides: The Principality of Asturias (El Principado de Asturias): Prehistory and History

Paleolithic Cave Art

In Asturias and the neighboring northern Spanish regions of Cantabria and the Basque Country, records of human habitation date back to 40,000 years ago as seen in artwork found in 18 caves identified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These important sites feature some of the oldest human artwork in the world. In Asturias, the Tito Bustillo Cave art has been dated to 34,000 BCE.

The prehistoric drawings and engravings in these caves offer a glimpse of the Paleolithic era environment of the region and show the capabilities of early humans. When the first such artwork was discovered in nearby Altamira Cave (Cantabria) in the 19th century, it was initially disregarded as being beyond the capabilities of Paleolithic people. Today, these many sites take a place of pride in the region and in Spain.

Ribadesella is a small beach town of about 5,500 people at the mouth of the Sella River where it meets the Cantabrian Sea (Atlantic Ocean) on the central Asturian coast. Tito Bustillo Cave, perched above the river about a half mile from the ocean, is a main attraction in the town.

Present day Tito Bustillo cave entry. The prehistoric artwork at Tito Bustillo was discovered in 1968 by members of a climbing group exploring the cave.

The interpretive displays at the Tito Bustillo Rock Art Center have been painstakingly recreated from the original artwork within the cave.

Depictions of horses and reindeer from prehistoric inhabitants of the cave provide important information about the Paleolithic environment of Asturias and Northern Spain.

Prehistoric Art in Northern Spain
Webpage from Spanish Cultural Ministry
Tito Bustillo, Spain - Ancient Art Archive
The Palaeolithic art of Tito Bustillo cave (Asturias, Spain) in its archaeological context
Academic article from Quaternary International
Tito Bustillo Cave (Asturias, Spain) and the Magdalenian of Cantabria
Academic article from World Archaeology via JSTOR.
El Castillo Cave - Don's Maps
In depth description of the El Castillo cave system with images.

Roman Spain

The Roman takeover of the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal) took nearly 200 years to complete. Starting in 220 BCE, the conquest came to an end after the Romans subdued the Celtic Astures and Cantabri tribes of Northern Spain in 219 BCE following a 10 year campaign in what is modern day Asturias.

The Romans helped to develop population centers and roads in the peninsula including the region of modern day Asturias. In 1903, the Campo Valdés thermal baths were rediscovered near San Lorenzo beach in Gijón. Dating to the 1st and 2nd century CE, the archeological remains of the bath complex feature a developed heating system and wall paintings that help to tell the story of the development of the region under Roman rule.

A statue in Gijón of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (known as Octavian), the first Roman Emperor. Octavian personally oversaw the defeat of the Astures and Cantabri tribes to complete the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Model of the Campo Valdes Roman baths complex discovered in Gijón in 1903.

Archaeological ruins of the Roman baths at the Campo Valdes site in Gijón.

The complex heating system of the Roman baths is evident even in the ruins.

Remains of Roman walls from the early settlement nearby the baths in the Cimadevilla section of Gijón.

Modern restoration of segments of the Roman wall can be seen around the Cimadevilla section of Gijón.

Gijón is the northern terminus of the Vía de la Plata Route, which crosses Spain highlighting important Roman era sites.

Late Roman Spain and Its Cities by Michael Kulikowski
Call Number: HT145.S7 K838 2004
ISBN: 9780801879784
Publication Date: 2004-10-01
Winner of an Honorable Mention in the Association of American Publishers' Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards in Classics and Archeology The history of Spain in late antiquity offers important insights into the dissolution of the western Roman empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. Nonetheless, scholarship on Spain in this period has lagged behind that on other Roman provinces. Michael Kulikowski draws on the most recent archeological and literary evidence to integrate late antique Spain into the broader history of the Roman empire, providing a definitive narrative and analytical account of the Iberian peninsula from A.D. 300 to 600. Kulikowski begins with a concise introduction to the early history of Roman Spain, and then turns to the Diocletianic reforms of 293 and their long-term implications for Roman administration and the political ambitions of post-Roman contenders. He goes on to examine the settlement of barbarian peoples in Spain, the end of Roman rule, and the imposition of Gothic power in the fifth and sixth centuries. In parallel to this narrative account, Kulikowski offers a wide-ranging thematic history, focusing on political power, Christianity, and urbanism. Kulikowski's portrait of late Roman Spain offers some surprising conclusions. With new archeological evidence and a fresh interpretation of well-known literary sources, Kulikowski contradicts earlier assertions of a catastrophic decline of urbanism, finding that the physical and social world of the Roman city continued well into the sixth century despite the decline of Roman power. This groundbreaking study will prompt further reassessments of the other Roman provinces and of medieval Spanish history.

Roman Legacy in Spain/Hispania.
Webpage from Spain: Then and Now
Roman Roads in Spain/Hispania.
Webpage from Spain: Then and Now
The Roman sites of Gijón
Webpage from Asturias.com tourism guide.
Campo Valdés Roman Baths Museum
Website for the Campo Valdés Roman Baths Museum