The Legal Status of the Phoenician Cities of Hispania and Their Integration into the Roman Administrative System

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the legal status, mechanisms of integration into the Roman system of governance, and the developmental features of the Phoenician cities of the Iberian Peninsula during the early period of Roman rule (206 BCE – 1st century CE). It also aims to analyze the processes through which long-standing Phoenician communities adapted to new political and legal realities, and to identify the specific nature of their incorporation into the Roman order. The methodological framework relies on a combination of historical approaches, including the historical-critical, comparative-historical, and chronological methods, as well as elements of numismatic analysis applied to the coinage of the cities under examination. The findings indicate that most Phoenician cities of Hispania acquired federated status, which granted them considerable internal autonomy, particularly in the case of Gades. The majority of other Phoenician centers, such as Malaca, Sexi, Abdera, and Ebusus, enjoyed a similar status, with New Carthage being the sole exception. It was further established that these cities continued to mint their own coinage with traditional iconography and Punic inscriptions, reflecting both the preservation of cultural identity and continued economic development. The uprising of 197 BCE reflected a conflict between Rome’s drive for centralization and the local elites’ aspirations to maintain autonomy, rather than a manifestation of anti-Roman sentiment. The conclusions of the study demonstrate that Roman policy toward the Phoenician cities of Hispania was characterized by flexibility and pragmatism, enabling Phoenician communities to adapt successfully to Roman rule. This adaptation combined loyalty to the new authorities with the preservation of cultural traditions and the synthesis of Roman and Phoenician elements, thereby contributing to the region’s economic growth and the shaping of a distinctive cultural identity. The culmination of this process was the granting of municipal rights to Phoenician cities between the late Republic and the early Imperial period, marking their full incorporation into the Roman political and legal system.