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SPV Articles and Links Pages
Archaeological
Spain
From Altamira to Atapuerca, or Mérida to Medina Azahara.
Historical Link Directories
Pre-Roman, Roman,
Moorish
and industrial Spain and Portugal.
Numantia
and the Celtiberian Wars
The Roman siege of Numantia was one of the key events in the
conquest of Hispania, and gave rise to one of the most lasting
legends in Spanish history.
The
Moorish Conquest of Spain and Portugal
Arguably the most important historical influence on Spanish
and Portuguese culture. But how were armies totalling no more
than 40,000 troops able to conquer a territory with a population
of around 4 million?
Al-Andalus
- the Emirate
Abd-er-Rahman, a twenty-year-old Umaiyid and the son of a
Berber harem slave, escaped the massacre of his family and
fled to Morocco. A pro-Umaiyid group in Al-Andalus prepared
his arrival there, and he landed at Almuñecar, Granada,
in 755. Within a year, he had defeated his opponents and been
declared Emir.
Elsewhere on the Net - Selected
Links
Altamira
Access to the famous cave paintings of Altamira is now
restricted to a handful of people a day and the waiting list
has grown to something like three years. The recently opened
neocueva, a practically perfect reproduction built
near the cave, is easily good enough to content those with
less patience. The website is inexplicably in Spanish only.
Atapuerca
The archeological site of Atapuerca, near Burgos, is one
of the most famous in the world because of the wealth of material
it has yielded in the last decade or so. I have been awaiting
the appearance of this website in English for a long time,
and have not been disappointed.
The
Catholic Monarchs
It could be said that the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando,
made the mould for modern Spanish history. A brief summary
here.
Deutsches
Museum - Altamira Cave
As the Altamira cave-paintings have been deteriorated by the
mass of visitors, the Deutsches Museum of Munich was commissioned
to make a replica for the National Archeological Museum, Madrid.
It was closed for renovation for some years but is open again.
The
Great Lisbon Earthquake
A genuinely gripping account of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake,
written by engineers, but with passion.
Historical
Seadogs
A site dealing with illustrious Elizabethan seamen, who mainly
stand out in Spanish history as hate figures (mention the
name "Drake" to a Spaniard and watch him spit). This
link originally went to a splendid site called "Ye Olde
Booke O'Seadogs" which seems to have disappeared: if
anyone finds it again, I would be grateful if they could let
me know.
The
History of a Lisbon Tram
Not "Lisbon Trams" or "The Tram in Lisbon;" this is the story
of a Lisbon tram.
History
of Spain
A very well-constructed sketch guide to Spanish history.
Joan's
Royalty in History Best
of the Net
This is some of the very best the Internet has to offer. Joan's
Royalty in History covers four "Kinky Kings of Spain"
and two "Melancholy Monarchs of Portugal," in as
beautiful a combination of didactics and entertainment as
you could want to find. My personal favourite is Philip V
of Spain, with his difficult-to-bear combination of the "insatiable
sexual appetite of the Bourbons" and an "abnormally
scrupulous conscience."
Lisbon
Trams
This, however, is the story of Lisbon trams, for buffs.
Manchester's
Portuguese Connections
The first Professor of Portuguese in Britain was Mancunian.
Isn't it amazing what you can learn on the Internet?
Mediterranean
Prehistory - Atapuerca
Well presented and relatively easy to follow, but definitely
written for serious historians.
Moorish
Spain
Much of the flavour of Spain and, to a lesser extent, Portugal,
is due to their Moorish past. This is an interesting site,
designed as material for a course in Spanish culture.
National
Archeological Museum of Spain
This site has been under reconstruction for nearly a year
now and its English is still frankly wanting. The Museo
Arqueológico Nacional is increasing in importance as archaeological
fieldwork in Spain produces new results.
The
Virtual Museum of the Spanish Mint
Numismatists might want more content, but the site is fun
and easy to use.
The
Wellington Society
The Wellington Society, founded by historian Stephen Drake-Jones,
is dedicated to "preserving the history of the Spanish Campaigns
of Wellington." Under the name Welltours and with the motto
"We tour, but we never bore," Drake-Jones also organizes
walks around and guided tours of, e.g., Hapsburg Madrid or
Spanish Peninsula War battlefields. History buffs should look
under "Society Pages" as well as at the descriptions
of the tours.
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