Mapping Mobility in Roman Hispania : Origins, Inscriptions, and Economics

Exploring the dynamics of human migration and mobility in Roman Hispania (currently known as the Iberian Peninsula) during the Imperial period, this book examines an extensive data set of inscriptions – predominantly funerary epitaphs – from the first and second centuries CE. These inscriptions indicate the movement of over 500 individuals across the three provinces of Baetica, Lusitania, and Tarraconensis. Each inscription is closely analysed in order to discover who moved, where, when, and why.

More specifically, the study considers the extent of population movement and the age, gender, and legal status of those who moved. Human mobility was not a marginal practice, and nor was it confined to men, soldiers, administrators, or the enslaved, as often assumed – it was a much broader phenomenon encompassing free civilian men, women, children, and families. In turn, this examination brings to the foreground patterns of mobility and the organisation of movement, which reveals the possibility of chain migration, group movement, and the potential role of associations and labour contractors. One of the primary motivations for movement is economic, and labour mobility can be seen in several case studies connected to specific cities, as well as industries such as mining. Alongside the inscriptions, a range of archaeological, material, and literary evidence is analysed together with carefully selected historical examples and comparative studies. As a result, this book reveals a world in which human mobility was a normal and structural part of society.