Illiturgis, also known as Ilorci or Iliturgi, was a city in Spain during antiquity, located on the road from Corduba to Castulo. Originally it was located near the site of Mengíbar, but when it was destroyed the populace was relocated near present-day Andújar.[1] It had the surname of Forum Julium during Roman times.[1]
During the Second Punic War, it sided with the Romans, and was besieged by the Carthaginians.[1] However, the sieges were raised.[1] When the two Scipios were overthrown, Illiturgis and Castulo sided with the Carthaginians.[1] In addition, the citizens of Illiturgis is said to have executed the Romans who had fled to the city for refuge during the war, according to Roman sources.[1] Publius Scipio stormed the city in 206 BC and burnt the corpses of the slaughtered townspeople.[1] It was besieged by the Romans in 196 BC and the city was taken. [1] As a Roman city, Illiturgis was part of the province of Hispania Baetica, and grew in size.[1] Saint Euphrasius of Illiturgis is said to have been its first Christian bishop. In the 7th century, Sisebut built a church over the Euphrasius' sepulcher at Illiturgis, but during the invasion of Spain by the Moors in the 8th century, Euphrasius' relics were translated to Galicia.[2]
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Illiturgis was a city of Hispania Baetica which was situated on steep mountainous terrain located on the North side of the River Baetis. It is on the road to the neighboring city of Corduba and Castulo which is believe to be a 5 day march from Carthago Nova, modern day Cartagena, Spain. Since the city was destroyed and repopulated it is likely that two sites will share the same name. One site is believed to be on the hill Maquiz, Mengibar in Spain. After it was destroyed the second location is believed to have been part of the surrounding area around the modern city of Andujar where the church of St. Potenciana currently stands.
There is a major problem with the city's location in the works of Livy and Coelius. Reportedly it was common for them to purposely substitute the names of known cities for unknown ones. For example, the site of Ilorci is most likely not equivalent to Livy's Illiturgis because it is believed that when the Roman soldiers took refuge in Illiturgis they actually went to the neighboring town of Ilorci instead. This is a possible theory, as it suggest that Illiturgis was much deeper in the enemy's territory which was near Mengibar, a few miles south of Bailen.
During the Second Punic War Illiturgis tried to be on both the Roman and Carthaginian sides. When Rome had the upper hand in the battle for Spain they would support Rome so as to keep themselves alive and well, this would also apply for when Carthage had the advantage in Spain. However, this switching sides did not sit well with Rome and was only made worse as the war progressed.
In 215 BC during the Second Punic War, the Spanish city of Illiturgis had become a colony of the Roman Republic. It came under attack by Hannibal and the Carthaginian armies while the Spanish army was in dire need of provisions. Rome came to their aid by sending out supplies such as clothing and food. This act would serve the Romans well as they gained the support of the inhabitants of the city to help them defend their home against the Carthaginians. Rome was very successful in capturing three of the Carthaginian camps ultimately causing the siege of Illiturgis to be abandoned. In the end, the Romans defeated the Carthaginians and eventually all the tribes [3]
During the Second Punic War, Rome had been betrayed by numerous communities within Spain, and it was clear to the Romans that these towns were well aware of their tyranny. According to Livy, out of all the cities to betray the Romans, Illiturgis was one of the most significant cities in size and in guilt to go against their authority. Prior to Africanus arriving in Spain, his father and his uncle were sent with a large roman army composed of both mercenaries and roman soldiers. Their ultimate goal was to take Spain and secure a method of travel to assault Carthage. However, they were divided and defeated with both Scipios killed in battle. There were survivors who fled to Illiturgis in hopes of safe refuge. The people of Illiturgis betrayed the Romans by defecting to Carthage and by killing the Roman soldiers who sought protection in their town. Hence, Scipio Africanus felt it only necessary for himself to carry out the punishment as a result of their disloyalty to the empire. [4]
The destruction of Illiturgis had two purposes according to Livy. One, was to avenge the lives of the soldiers that had been betrayed by the inhabitants. The other purpose was to show that Rome did not take kindly to those who betrayed them and would punish them accordingly. The Young Scipio Africanus was the only one who asked to undertake the re-subjugation of Spain and in particular the cities that betrayed Rome.
In 206 B.C. Scipio marched five days with an army to the city of Illiturgis where he planned to seize control of the land and destroy every building and inhabitant for their wrongdoings against Rome. When Scipio arrived, the city was heavily fortified by both its natural and man made defenses, however the garrison there was smaller than what would normally be required to safeguard the city. Knowing that the Roman army would arrive the city shut its gates to everyone on the outside. This gave the Romans the perception that the inhabitants were fearful of their treason. When the battle began Scipio had only sent a small amount of his forces with ladders to assault the city. This assault failed and encouraged the citizens of Illiturgis to fight on. In that engagement the people of Illiturgis had suffered heavy losses to their already small forces, while the Romans suffered relatively little losses which is what Scipio had wanted. After this, Scipio rallied his men in an encouraging speech where he demanded that the Spaniards be punished in the most severe manner for their crimes. Launching a fresh assault with his entire force the Romans eventually took the city walls, and then the city itself. [4]
Africanus was angry towards the city for not only betraying Rome, but for also killing the Romans who took refuge. His anger was so great that he was not content with merely destroying the city. Therefore, he ordered that every single individual, including the women and children be put to death. While this is seen as controversial in today's world, it was seen as justifiable (albeit barely) in Roman times[5]
Destroying the city and putting every man, woman, and child to the sword sent some shock-waves throughout the region. Two cities in particular had decided that they too would meet a similar fate if they also tried to resist, but their solutions were different... One city, Castulo sought forgiveness, while another city, Astapa, sought to rob the Romans of any loot or revenge they would seek.[5]
Castulo was a neighboring city that also sat along side the river Baetis. Once the people of the city saw how Scipio Africanus dealt with Illiturgis and its betrayal, they feared that they too would meet a similar fate. Instead they surrendered themselves without a fight in hopes of having a lesser punishment from the Roman army.[5]
Astapa was another city that betrayed Rome. However, they interpreted the severity of Illiturgis differently than Castulo did. Fearing that they would be slaughtered in a similar fashion resolved to kill themselves and burn the city as well as all of its treasures. Later there would be a controversy over whether or not Scipio had caused the mass suicide of the people of Astapa. However Livy believes that the city had acted out of fear of facing justice in general, not because of Scipio's extreme actions at Illiturgis.[5]