Military territories in Hispania: New perspectives

Abstract

Epigraphic documents concerning military territorial limits are not very common, although the set from the north of the Iberian Peninsula is the largest in the Empire. We know about 30 entries concerning the legio IIII Macedonica, the legio X gemina and the cohors IV Gallorum.We present in this paper a state of research on the military territories in Hispania. It is necessary to define the features of these districts surrounding the Roman camps, which are under the direct control of the army from the economic point of view and jurisdictional. Excavations during the years 2000-2001 southeast of the city of Leon, across the Torío river and next to the current district of Puente Castro have allowed us to identify a new secondary agglomeration or military vicus so-called Ad Legionem. This arises 2,2 km from the legionary camp of legio VII gemina at Leon and in close dependence on it. From the existence of this military vicus satellite we can argue that even in the case of Hispania verified the existence of the leuga, strip of land within 1,5 miles (2,2 km) under military jurisdiction.