Curuxu's Page

ASTURIAS
Asturias was the region where the Visigothic nobles and the few Ibero-Romans who supported them took refuge when the Moorish armies swept unstoppably up the Iberian Peninsula from Gibraltar. Under the leadership of Pelayo, these Christians halted the Arab expansion at the Battle of Cobadonga in 722, after which Pelayo was proclaimed king (this place in the history of Spain is reflected by the heir to the Spanish throne being given the title Prince of Asturias, like the British Prince of Wales). Around about 924, the Kingdom of Asturias mutated into the Kingdom of León, and Asturias itself relapsed into the rural backwardness which has usually characterised it. In spite of being one of the first areas in Spain to undergo an industrial revolution (powered by abundant locally mined coal), it has long been subject to a pattern of forced emigration (as in neighbouring Galicia), and traces of Asturian culture are often found in the Americas.”


Article Contributed by a Reader, July 2007
Asturias was the last part of Spain taken by the Romans - very late, when most of Spain had already been colonized for almost 400 years. The Celtic tribes of Asturias fought the Romans for almost ten years, in the Cantabrian Wars. Rome needed more time and men to take Asturias than to take all Gaul. The reason for this conquest was that Emperor Augustus wanted to fix the limits of the Empire and needed fresh men in his legions. (The men of my city, Gijón, called themselves Cymru, like modern Wales.) Most of those Asturians the Romans enlisted were sent to Britain and Scotland, to build the Hadrian Wall, possibly because they spoke a language quite similar to that of the British Celts. Chesters Fort in the Hadrian`s Wall was kept for almost 400 years by those Asturian Cylurms compulsorily enlisted in the Roman legions. For over 400 years at the Wall Asturians and Scots must have maintained a close contact. The first were paid by Rome, but probably they felt closer to the Picts and Caledonians than to the Roman masters.

The Towers Cape was the original settlement of the Cylurms, the original inhabitants of Asturias, and remained a Celtic stronghold for almost 800 years. Cylurm was one of the key places in ancient times for the trade of bronze around the Atlantic Celtic arch. There are many villages in Asturias called Belenos, like the Irish god, or Taran, or Lug. Although deeply Romanized, about 1,000 Celtic words remain in the Asturian language spoken today, the great trace of Celtic presence masy still be felt.

A marvellous Celtic site in the Asturian region, the “Campa Torres” or “The Torres Bay”, now destroyed for development, was inhabited for almost two thousand years by the Celtic people of the Cylurni. The Torres Bay was an impressive promontory jutting into the Atlantic, near to the city of Gijón, and, sadly, near to the port of Gijón. It was from here that the horse soldiers of the Ala Asturica were sent by Rome to build and defend the Hadrian Wall. The remains of these Celtic people of northern Spain can still be found in the Fort of Chesters, in Northumberland, the most important fortress guarding the Hadrian Wall. On the archaelogical site, remains of products coming from Ireland or Britanny 2.000 years ago had been found. Torres was important for the Celtic world given the abundance of zinc necessary for producing bronze. The Cylurns were famous for his ability with the bronze and copper. (In their language this meant 'The Coppersmiths').