Archaeology in the eastern part of the Tarraconensis province in the times of the Visigothic kings

Abstract

The presence of the Visigoths on the Iberian Peninsula went through certain crucial junctures in which the Tarraconensis province was the site of the manoeuvres of a people seeking a place to settle within the Roman Empire. In 418, they reached a pact (foederatio) which ushered in the period of the Kingdom of Toulouse, located in Aquitaine. Increasing pressure from the Franks led to the Battle of Vouille in 507, which forced the Visigoths to retreat towards the Tarraconensis. Barcinona became the royal headquarters in the first half of the 6th century during the Ostrogoth protectorate, with Kings Gesalec, Amalaric and Theudis. We shall present a summary ofthe impact that the arrival of the Visigoths had on cities like Tarracona, Barchinona and Egara, along with the transformation of the habitat, walled villages and military fortifications, and the gradual abandonment of the Roman villas in light of recent historical-archaeological research.