OLD UXAMA

Introduction

To revive the history of these lands and the people that have inhabited them way, one should begin 2,000 years ago, way before Burgo de Osma and its diocese came into existence, prior even to the arrival of Christianity in the times of the Roman Empire.

At that point in time, the upper Duero territory was occupied by the Arevaci, a Celtiberian people that subsisted as a result of their farming activity, above all the keeping of sheep and goats. The Arevaci knew how to weave good clothes out of wool, create various items of pottery and make instruments and beautiful ornaments out of iron, copper, silver and gold. They lived in forts (castros), which were settlements situated in easily defendable areas.

Some of these could even be regarded as true towns. Within what is, or was, the territory of the diocese of Burgo de Osma, evidence exists of several such towns: first of all, we have UXAMA, the town lying high above, adjacent to what in time would be Osma; a stoneÆs throw away lies TIERMES; then, there is CLUNIA and, finally, the best known of all these sites, NUMANTIA. In the first century BC, the Celtiberian towns were attacked by the mighty Romans who were in the process of creating an Empire around the Mediterranean and had invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The long and heroic resistance of the Celtiberians, above all those from Numantia who, as we know, preferred to set their city on fire and kill themselves in mass suicide rather than surrender converted their fight into a symbol of love of liberty and human dignity.

. The Celtiberian towns were swept away and Roman ones were built over them. Indeed, it is above all the remains of these Roman towns that we encounter on visiting old Uxama, Tiermes, Numantia or Clunia. These are the marks left by the civilization that was forced upon the Celtiberian people and converted these lands, in part, into a province of the Roman Empire. Up to the year 476 AD, in which the Western Roman Empire disappeared, the territory and its people were Romanized, impregnated with Roman culture. One important legacy of this culture was Christianity, the religion that the Apostles and their successors had been spreading from town to town throughout the Roman Empire.

1st ITINERARY: BURGO DE OSMA, UXAMA, SAN ESTEBAN DE GORMAZ, TIERMES

Burgo de Osma

Located 2 Km from Burgo de Osma, on the National Highway 122 to Valladolid, on the nearby hill of Castro.

UXAMA

The impresive view from the hilltop encompasses the many aspects of the areaÆs history. To the south, we see the forts of Osma and Gormaz and the lookout towers that tell us of the battles between Christians and Moslems. Beneath us lies Burgo de Osma which, featuring a Baroque tower, reveals the important status achieved by the town when it became an episcopal see. The hilltop itself once acted as a natural fortification over the River Ucero and was reinforced by the addition of a walled stronghold built in the Late Empire to defend the Roman town.

Excavaciones en Uxama (ppa)
Uxama, together with Tiermes and Numantia, is one of the most important Arevaci towns that was dominated by Rome in the period of Pompey. With a privileged position, located on the Roman road which ran from Saragossa (Cesar Augusta) to Astorga (Asturica), it reached its greatest height during the early Roman Empire.

Its past splendor can still be seen within its ruins: the aqueduct; the great cisterns constructed out of mortar and with barrel vaulting to supply a very numerous population; the thermal baths; and PilateÆs House, a residence worthy of a wealthy owner... Bricks and pottery broken into thousands of pieces can be observed on the ground of what was once Roman Uxama.

ALeaving Uxama on National Highway 122 we come across sporadic vineyards on our way to SAN ESTEBAN DE GORMAZ (See: "THE FRENCH OR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROMANESQUE"); here, we have to take another road in the direction of Tauta and Montejo de Tiermes. This road is dotted with holm oak groves and savines, and is a frequent hunting ground for birds of prey.

TIERMES

Located amidst the Sorian plateau, on soft reddish clay, this town was important in the Celtiberian and Roman period. Our knowledge of Tiermes is owed to the work of Roman historians and to archaeological excavations. Tiermes was inhabitied, according to Apianus, by Arevaci. In 99 BC it was conquered by the Roman Titus Didius who in doing so killed 20,000 men and

the great city of Tiermes, which had always been hostile toward the Romans, was forced down from the heights and resettled on the plains and was subjected to the prohibition of constructing walls or minting coins.

Yacimiento de Tiermes

After the Roman conquest it was included in the legal jurisdiction of CLUNIA. During the late Roman Empire the city was surrounded on three sides by stones taken from the nearby quarry. The large cliff that sloped down on the Western side provided a good natural defense.

From the archaeological remains a distinction can be made between two successive periods: that of the Celtiberian people that settled in caves carved out of the soft sandstone, where even the hollow of the fireplace can be seen; and that of the Roman town at present under excavation. Clearly recognizable in the latter is its forum, in which the ground plans of what once were the stores or tabernae are being uncovered. The multiple underground water distribution channels, the houses and the aqueduct can also be identified.

Hermitage of Santa Marφa

After the destruction of the town by the Romans, Tiermes lost all its importance and in the 12th century two monasteries were built, along with a church whose style traditionally belongs to that of the transitional Romanesque, featuring as it does an aisleless nave, an apse and a side portico graced by five semicircular arches whose capitals are adorned with plant, mythological and historical motifs. Churches of this type are abundant throughout the Duero basin.

There is a pleasant little spot along the River Tiermes where one can enjoy a picnic.

2nd ITINERARY: SORIA, NUMANCIA, CUEVAS DE SORIA, MEDINACELI

Soria
Almazán
Medinaceli

NUMANCIA

The third Roman town to be found in the provinde of Soria, Numantia was one of the main Celtiberian settlements and represented the most important center of resistance against the Romans, being finally conquered by P.C. Scipius in the year 133 BC.

Numancia. Casas romanas
Located on a hillock flanked on either side by the River Duero and its tributary the Merdancho, the town featured an oval layout with two main streets that met at right angles; all the streets were paved with small stones and bordered by sidewalks; the houses and foundations were made of stone and the walls were made of wooden frameworks and brick, whereas the roofs were of twigs and clay. It was surrounded by a wall whose remains are still standing on the western and northeastern sides of the town. In 133 BC, whilst under siege by the Romans, it was set ablaze by the inhabitants of Numantia, and a century later the Romans rebuilt the town, making use of its previous layout and erecting houses made of stone. This second town slowly perished due to the invasion of the Barbarians and was finally abandoned. Almost all of the remains uncovered during the excavations of Numantia can be found at the Museum of Numantia in Soria. A visit there is vital if one is to truly understand any fully admire the cultural wealth of this town.

CUEVAS DE SORIA

Cuevas de Soria, of Pre Roman origen, was built over a hillfort (castro) commanding a panoramic view of the River Izana and, like many of the villages of this area, was occupied by Rome. Interesting vestiges of the Roman influence still remain.

MEDINACELI

Situated on a hill dominating the Jal≤n Valley, in former times Medinaceli was the Celtiberian Ocilis, subsequently to be transformed into a town by the Romans. Still surviving from Roman times are its wall and Triumphal Arch featuring three openings. The arch probably symbolized the administrative division between the Roman districts of Clunia and Caesar Augusta.

Medinaceli. Arco romano (ppa)
Later, the town came under the control of the Moslems, who were to give it its present name. From this period of its history, Medinaceli retains part of its walls featuring a horseshoe arched gate, as well as the legend that Al Mansur, subsequent to the defeat at Calata±azor, sought refuge and was later to die here.

Once it had been reconquered by the Christians, in the times of the Catholic Monarchs the town would become the center of the important Duchy of Medinaceli, whose 16th century palace still stands today in the Plaza Mayor.

Collegiate Church of Santa Marφa

This church features a nave and two aisles separated by iron grillwork. Several Dukes of Medinceli are buried in the presbytery.