Romanization of Hispania

The Romanization of Hispania is the process by which Roman or Latin culture was introduced into the Iberian Peninsula during the period of Roman rule.

Glass jar, at the Museum of Valladolid. The Romans were pioneers in the technique of glass blowing.

Throughout the centuries of Roman rule over the provinces of Hispania, Roman customs, religion, laws and the general Roman lifestyle gained much favour in the indigenous population. Together with a substantial minority of Roman immigrants, these eventually formed a distinct Hispano-Roman culture. Several factors aided the process of Romanization:

  • Creation of civil infrastructure, including road networks and urban sanitation.
  • Commercial interaction within regions and with the wider Roman world.
  • Foundation of coloniae; settling Roman military veterans in newly created towns and cities.
  • The spread of the hierarchical Roman administrative system throughout the Hispanic provinces.
  • Growth of Roman aristocratic land holdings (latifundia).
Roman coloniae in Hispania were highly concentrated in the south and along the Mediterranean coast but relatively sparse elsewhere