Las fíbulas de la batalla de "Baecula"

Resumen

A set of 100 fibulae from Cerro de las Albahacas (Jaén) is presented. They were recovered in the context of the “Baecula project” that investigates the well-known battle between the Carthaginian and Roman armies from 208 b.c., in the context of the Second Punic War. Typologically, they ascribe mostly to diπerent La Tène type models made in one piece, generally of iron, together with a few of the ‘hispanic annular’ type, characterized by the small dimensions that many of the specimens show. Among them, a singular fibula stands out, of La Tène inspiration, decorated with golden triangles on the bridge. So, this batch encompasses diπerent well-known models in various contexts of the Iberian Peninsula, when not exclusive to these territories. It should be related to the significant presence of auxiliary Iberian contingents in the battle, indicated by the literary sources, to which is added the military character of some types. Despite the di√culty in identifying the equipment of the contenders, with a significant presence of Hispanic troops, some conclusions from the characteristics of certain fibulae can be deduced, which provides information about the status, origin, or clothing of the combatants. In the area of the battle, some other fibulae were recovered that had no relation to it, since they belong to a clearly earlier or later chronology. The recorded repertoire and the method used in its recovery oπers a model for studying similar assemblages and recognizing Hispanic contingents in other scenes of the Second Punic War.