1808.] 
great Scipio himself, the conqueror of 
Carthage, was sent to Numantia, and, 
after a long siege, reduced the unhappy 
Numantines, with their own hands to 
put an utter end to their name and 
nation, 
The country, known by the general 
name of Celtiberia, from the Celts, who, 
out of Gaul, established theniselves on 
both sides of the river Iberus, now the 
Ebro, comprehended several small states 
which still retained, and are mentioned 
in history by their original names; such 
were the Arevaci, who inhabited the 
tract included in the bishopric of Osma, 
and other adjoining lands on the south 
side of the Duero: within the bounds 
of these Arevaci, towards the north-east ' 
lay a small tribe, called the Pelendones, 
whose towns, according to Pliny, were 
Visontium, Augustobriga, Savia, and 
Numantia. The three first are also 
mentioned, by Ptolemy, as belonging 
to the Pelendones, but Numantia he 
places among the Arevaci, to whom, in 
fact, the whole district of the Pelendones 
belonged. Again Strabo says, the river 
Duero, or Durius, or Dorias, flowed 
through the territory of both these na- 
tions; to which Pliny adds, that it took 
its rise among the Pelendones, and flow- 
ing by Numantia, traversed the country 
of the Arevaci, &c. We have hence 
a sure guide to lead us to that celebrated 
town; for the great river Duero rises 
in the heart of a lofty range of mountains 
stretching east and west between the 
diocese of Burgos on the north, and that 
of Osma on the south. This range, now 
called Sierre de Urbion, is part of the 
ancient Distercian mountains; high up 
towards their summit, is a small lake 
surrounded with precipices, and of vast 
depth; the water is clear and sweet, 
having, in the middle, a rapid whirlpool 
which swallows up every thing that ap- 
proaches it. This lake, or pool, has ne 
visible discharge, but about twenty paces 
lower down the hill, a considerable 
spring bursts out, which is considered 
as the source of the Duero. Thisstream 
is sO much increased in the course of 
six or seven leagues, that is to say, at 
the village of Garray, at the foot of the 
hill of Numantia, as to require a bridge 
of no less than sixteen spacious arches; 
and even those on many occasions are 
not sufficient to give a free passage to 
the waters, and prevent them from 
inundating the neighbouring low grounds, 
Just above this bridge, the Duero re- 
ceives the waters of the Tera, itself 4 
Site of the Aniient City of Numantia. 
19 
considerable stream, and then hurrying 
along the west side of the hill of Nu- 
mantia, receives the Mardacho, passes 
on the east side of Soria, as far as Ale 
marail, in a course due south from Nu- 
mantia, of six leagues; here it bends 
due west, and after another stretch of 
one hundred leagues discharges itself 
into the Atlantic, below Oporto, in Pore 
tugal. 
Another proof of the position of Nu- 
mantia on the hill at Garray is drawn 
from the Roman Itinerary of Antoninus ; 
which, in reciting the several towns 
situated on the great road, leading from 
Asturica now Astorga, to Cesaraugusta, 
now Saragossa, mentions Numantia as 
the ninth in order, at the distance of 
fifty miles, from Uxama, whose ruins 
are still visible near Osma, and of twen- 
ty-three miles from Augustobriga, whose 
position, as was already noticed, seems 
to have been at Muro, near Agreda. 
These distances coincide very accurately 
with the road estimated at this day; 
and, both on the west and east sides of 
Numantia are to be seen considerable 
portions of the ancient via. The whole 
distance from Numantia, by this itine- 
rary, to Caesaraugusta, is 95 miles, cor- 
responding sufficiently well with the 
800 stadii, or 100 Roman miles, given 
in round numbers, by Strabo. - 
Respecting this Itinerary, from Astue 
rica to Cesaraugusta, it is proper to 
observe, that there is an evident error 
in the title, which describes the road 
as passing through Cantabria, a “tract 
lying on the coast of the Bay of Biscay 
towards the port, called Santandero ; 
instead of Celtiberia. This error is ac- 
counted for by Florez, in his Ecclesiasti- 
cal History of Spain, (Espana Sagrada) 
by supposing the word to have been 
contracted in the manuscripts into C. T, 
B. R. letters common to both names. 
From the bridge of Garray, where the 
Duero touches the hill of Numantia, all 
along its extent, the river flows rapidly 
over a rocky bottom, so as to be impas- 
sable, especially when the snow begins 
to melt in the mountains where it rises, 
some of which are covered all the year 
round. 
In going up from the brink of the river 
to the summit of the hill, are to be seen 
three parallel banks, or mounds, of stone 
running round the slope over the river, 
and at such distances as to allow the 
ground in their intervals to be plowed 
and sown. These mounds, or ramparts, 
are composed of such stones ashave been 
collected 
