Itálica - It's not the birthplace of italics

fake news

No matter what you thought, heard or read, Itálica is not the birthplace of italics.

The Roman ruins of Italica have remarkable mosaics and an impressive amphitheater. It is located 9 kilometers to the north of Sevilla, just outside the village of Santiponce. It is a pretty easy trip on the 170A or 170B local bus that originates at the Plaza de Armes bus station. It's only 1.60€ per person each way. It is a nice bus as well; heed the warning not to eat on the bus if you wish to avoid unspecified sanctions.

just past the ticket window

The Roman emperors Trajan, Hadrian were born here, and there is some evidence that Theodosius started his life here as well. Itálica is one of the earliest Roman settlements in Spain. Founded in 206 BC by Publius Cornelius Scipius, it became an important Roman city in the west. Scipius defeated the Carthaginians at the battle of Ilipa. The Carthaginians, if you don't recall, were those bad boys on elephants originally led by Hannibal in the First Punic  Wars.

Itálica gained social and military status in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, when Trajan and his nephew Hadrian were in power. Hadrian named the town, which had a local population of around 10,000. The area became an important agricultural area exporting olive oil and grain back to Rome. This commercial activity led to some very wealthy citizens which is reflected in the remains of the houses they left behind.

Starting in the 3rd century AD, the town lost its affluence; perhaps, due to a problem with shipping from the port on the Guadalquivir River. It has been speculated that the river's course shifted. Starting in the Middle Ages and lasting until the last century, the ruins were used as a source of building materials for the road from Merida to Sevilla in the 19th century, and for grand houses in Seville. The remains of the Roman city came under government protection in the early 20th century. Now, its preservation and restoration are important initiatives.

 the theater could hold an estimated 25,000 spectators

a below ground entrance for participants

 entry tunnels under the theater seats

architectural detail

 restored mosaic floor

Neptune's floor with school kid shadows

 restored mosaic floor

 restored mosaic floor and garden

restored mosaic floor

restoration is slow, painstaking work

lots of exposed foundations throughout the area

The Palacio de la Condesa de Lebrija in Sevilla is one of the best examples of the pilfering of artifacts from Itálica. 

The house dates to the 16th century. Its original owners were the Paiba family. In 1901, the Condesa de Lebrija purchased the palace for her vast collections of antiquities including many removed from Itálica and other similar locations. She spent years and a small fortune to remodel the house to show off here possessions. Today, the family has turned the house into a museum that allows the public to visit. It is still owned by the family. 

entrance to the palacio

one of the floors from Itálica

detail of the floor above

another Itálica floor

another floor but in need of repair

I find it very interesting that the mosaic floors from Itálica and other archeological sites are in this private home. There are lots of other artifacts in the house including statuary, columns, fragments of pottery, and even some very old coins. By today's standards, many of us would find it appalling that an individual could remove antiquities from ancient sites. In the Condesa's time, all it took was money and the right connections. She had both. I think that many of us know some people that think money and power defeats ethics.

PS: As we stumbled around Itálica, we asked a security person, vigilante, a question, and within a minute or so, she was showing us around the site. There were guides for hire, but she took it upon herself to be our guide at no cost. Her English was almost nonexistent. She started by using Google translate, but soon it was her Spanish and my Spanish going head to head. After about 30 minutes we parted ways with each of us learning some new vocabulary words.