JAÉN
IBERIANS
The extraordinary archaeological heritage of the Iberians in Jaén is globally unique. Iberian culture flourished between the 7th and 1st centuries BC and left an impressive archaeological heritage in our province, including the fortified settlements or oppida of Cástulo, Giribaile and Puente Tablas, the burial chambers of Toya and Hornos, and the sanctuaries of Pajarillo and Cueva de la Lobera.
The materials more used were the clay or terracotta, stones and bronze.
As the main example of bronze we have exvotos. The exvotos are very small figures.
The most important exvotos are the warriors, they have concave round shields, swords curves (falcatas), spears, etc. They usually appear in different ways: on horseback, on foot, etc. Women are usually dressed. Some think that these little figurines could be placed on altars to undo or prevent the evil eye.
Animal Sculpture apparently had a mission to keep the gates of the villages and protecting the tombs against evil spirits. In general all animals appear crouching and alertly.
ROMANS
The city of Jaén was an important settlement since 207 BC, when Publio Cornelio Escipion took it from Carthaginians in the Second Punic War's context. Jaén, which was very valued for the fertility that the city had, was turned into municipality with latin right.
Some historians said that Auringis (or Aurgi), Jaen's roman name, was a small city. It seems like Aurgi was also very important because of the discoveries and the existence of roman's baths, show's places, public funtions like lamines, duumviros, seviros, etc.
Some time afterwards that Vespasiano took the power, maybe in 70AC, he promulgated the edict of latinidad, giving to all Hispania the citizenship of latin right, in gratitude for the support of the dispute of the power. After that, new municipalities were born under the denomination of “municipium Flavium”. Aurgi was one of them.
In this period, Aurgi became a municipium and it citizen became citizents of latin right. In honor of the emperor, Aurgi changed its name into “AVRGI MVNICIPIVM FLAVIVM”.
Like the great majority of the cities of Roman Empire, Aurgi adopted the structure of the prototype of roman city. In the Magdalena's neighborhood is found the greater part of roman inscriptions and archaeological remain, so it can be the position of the flavia city. We can find urban roman canons:
a) We can find wall remains next to Magdalena's neighborhood.
b) Aurgi's principal street were the cardus maximus, north-south, nowadays identified with Magdalena and Martinez Molina's streets, and the decumanus maximus, east-west, the present Santa Úrsula's street.
c)The supply to the city is solved building an aqueductus. It went through the “Barranco de los Escuderos”.
d)The Forum was in the center of the roman city and it was the space where the politic activities, administrative, economics and religious were developed. Furthermore, It's discover, in Magdalena's square, some sculpture of this period.
The system that was established worked well lengthwise the II century after Christ, but in the end of that century, Aurgi showed a period of crisis in field and the urban settlement.
