Osca
Osca, known today as Huesca, is a historical city located in northeastern Spain, situated on a hill overlooking the Rio Isuela. It was part of the territory associated with the Ilergetes tribe, as recorded by ancient geographers such as Ptolemy, Livy, Pliny the Elder, and Strabo. The Roman occupation of Osca began around 208 BC, and the city gained prominence as a significant source of silver, contributing to Rome’s economy through the export of this valuable metal. Osca served as the capital and mint for Quintus Sertorius during the civil war of the 70s BC, where it was noted for its educational institutions that trained the sons of local chiefs in Roman customs.
The city was later elevated to the status of a municipium in 28 BC, which is reflected in the coinage issued during that time, including denarii that celebrated its significance. By the middle of the third century AD, Osca had developed a notable Christian community, highlighted by the local festival of San Lorenzo. The area also contained a Roman villa near Fraga, further emphasizing its historical importance in the Roman Empire. Today, Huesca retains a rich cultural heritage, making it a point of interest for those exploring ancient Roman history in the region.
Subject Terms
Osca
(Huesca)
A city in northeastern Spain; situated on the slopes of a hill overlooking the Rio Isuela, a northern tributary of the river Iberus (Ebro), in territory ascribed by Ptolemy to the tribe of the Ilergetes (though Pliny the Elder and Strabo mention the names of other peoples). Roman occupation reached Osca by 208 BC, and it is mentioned by Livy as a major source of silver in 185. These abundant supplies of the metal—which were sent to Rome—are confirmed by plentiful second-century issues of silver coinage, displaying a bearded head and the figure of a horseman. In the 70s BC Osca was the capital and mint of Quintus Sertorius in his civil war against the governmental authorities; it was the meeting place of his `senate,’ and the location of an academy where the sons of Spanish chiefs wore Roman clothing and were given a classical education. However, it was at Osca that Sertorius was murdered by his own lieutenant Perperna (72).
In 39 BC Cnaeus Domitius Calvinus, the governor of Nearer Spain appointed by Octavian (the future Augustus), issued denarii with the old Iberian types, bearing the name of the city of Osca (in Latin), during or after his successful campaign against the tribe of the Cerretani. Subsequent issues with the head of Octavian, describing the city as Urbs Victrix, appear to refer to its elevation to the rank of municipium in 28. This coinage continued, at intervals, until the reign of Gaius (Caligula, AD 37–41). From the middle of the third century AD, the city contained a strong community of Christians, to one of whose number the Festa of San Lorenzo bears witness. At Fraga, not far from Osca, was a palatial Roman villa, owned at one time by a certain Fortunatus.