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Italica () was an ancient Ancient Rome city in Hispania; its site is close to the town of Santiponce in the province of Seville, Spain. It was founded in 206 BC by Roman general Scipio Africanus as a colonia for his Roman Italy veterans and named after them.Appian, Iberian Wars 38 Italica later grew attracting new migrants from the Italian peninsula and also with the children of Roman soldiers and native women. Among the Italic settlers were a branch of the gens Ulpia from the city of Todi and a branch of the gens Aelia from the city of Hadria, either co-founders of the town or later migrants who arrived at an unknown time; the Ulpi Traiani and the Aelii Hadriani were the respective stirpes of the Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian, both born in Italica.Bennett, Julian (2001). Trajan. Optimus Princeps. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. P. 1-3. This is the academic consensus and the traditional viewpoint, held by most historians such as Julian Bennet and Anthony R.Birley. On the other hand, the Spanish historian Alicia M. Canto has argued since 2003 that the Trahii, a family which is usually also thought to be Umbrian and that became related to the Ulpii, were the original paternal family of Trajan and a relevant local indigenous family rather than Italic immigrants. ( cf. Las raíces béticas de Trajano: los 'Traii' de la Itálica turdetana, y otras novedades sobre su familia). This position, however, departs from the dominant view in academia.
According to some authors, Italica was also the birthplace of Theodosius I.According to Hydatius and Zosimos, Theodosius was born at "Cauca in Gallaecia" (modern Coca, Segovia, Spain), while Marcellinus Comes and Jordanes place his birth at Italica (near Santiponce) in Hispania Baetica, the same as the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Aurelius Victor, Themistius, Pacatus Drepanius, and Claudian, although not explicitly mentioning Italica, also state that Theododius had the same roots as Trajan. This inconsistency among ancient authors has been explained in a variety of ways by modern scholars, who have also attributed it to mistakes or interpolations. Those favoring Cauca as the actual birthplace have also argued that Italica is a later invention precisely intended to connect Theodosius with Trajan. Martin Almagro Gorbea, although also favouring Cauca over Italica, states that modern historians are divided on the issue. El Disco de Teodosio, Martin Almagro Gorbea, 2000Alicia M. Canto
"Sobre el origen bético de Teodosio I el Grande, y su improbable nacimiento en Cauca de Gallaecia", Latomus. Revue d'Études Latines 65.2, 2006,388-421.
"Itálica, sedes natalis de Adriano. 31 textos históricos y argumentos para una secular polémica", Athenaeum. Studi di letteratura e Storia dell'Antichità 92.2, 2004, 367–408.
The vetus urbs (original or "old" city) developed into a prosperous city and was built on a Hippodamian street planAlicia M. Canto, "Die 'vetus urbs' von Italica: Probleme ihrer Gründung und ihrer Anlage", Madrider Mitteilungen 26, 1985, 137-148 (spec. fig. 1). with public buildings and a forum at the centre, linked to a busy river port. Italica thrived especially under the patronage of Hadrian, like many other cities in the empire under his influence at this time, but it was especially favoured as his birthplace. He expanded the city northwards as the nova urbs (new city) and, upon its request, elevated it to the status of colonia as Colonia Aelia Augusta Italica even though Hadrian expressed his surprise as it already enjoyed the rights of "Municipium".Aulus Gellius ( Noct. Attic. XVI, 13, 4) He also added temples, including the enormous and unique Traianeum in the centre of the city to venerate his predecessor and adopted father, and rebuilt public buildings.
Italica started to dwindle as early as the 3rd century, when a shift of the Guadalquivir River bed left its river port high and dry, while Seville continued to grow nearby. The river's shift was probably due to siltation, a widespread problem in antiquity that followed deforestation.
Italica was important enough in late Antiquity to have a bishop of its own, and had a garrison during the Visigothic age. The walls were restored by Leovigildo in 583 AD during his struggles against Hermenegildo.John of Biclaro, Chronicles
One of the first excavators was the British textile merchant and Seville resident Nathan Wetherell, who uncovered nearly ten Roman inscriptions in the vicinity of Italica in the 1820s that were later donated to the British Museum.For the study of the inscriptions cf. Alicia M. Canto, Epigrafía romana de Itálica, Madrid, Complutense University, 1985, nr. 39, 71, 82, 86, 106, 115, 132, 150, 152 and 154. Regular excavation, however, did not materialise until 1839–1840.Alicia M. Canto, "Ivo de la Cortina y su obra "Antigüedades de Itálica" (1840): Una revista arqueológica malograda", Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 26, 2001, págs. 158-165. When excavations intensified towards the end of the 19th century, some of the mosaic floors have been acquired by the Countess of Lebrija. They are conserved in the palace the countess had built for this purpose, the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija. The archeologist responsible for the excavations at the time Rodrigo Amador de los Ríos tried to revert what he considered to be robbery rather than conservation by the countess, but she did not indulge in his complaints. By Royal Order of 1912 Italica was declared a National Monument, but it was not until 2001 that the archaeological site of Italica and the areas of protection were clearly defined.
The archaeological site of Italica encompasses mainly the nova urbs with its many fine buildings from the Hadrianic period. The original vetus urbs (old town) lies under the present town of Santiponce.
Extensive excavation and renovation of the site has been done recently and is continuing.
The small baths and the Theatre are some of the oldest visible remains, both built before Hadrian.
Italica’s amphitheatre was the third largest in the Roman Empire at the time, being slightly larger than the Tours Amphitheatre in France. It seated 25,000 spectators, about half as many as the Colosseum in Rome. The size is surprising given that the city's population at the time is estimated to have been only 8,000, and shows that the local elite demonstrated status that extended far beyond Italica itself through the games and theatrical performances they funded as magistrates and public officials.
From the same period is the elite quarter with several beautiful (and expensive) houses decorated with splendid mosaics visible today, particularly the:
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