ByJOANIE MARGULIES

A single human skull uncovered in Spain revealed the Roman army’s assertion of dominance over their rivals in the first century B.C.

The 2020 discovery of the skull was recently published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology, focusing on the Romans’ siege of La Loma, a Cantabrian oppidum, or fortified settlement.

In the first century B.C., the Romans repeatedly engaged in hostilities against the Cantabri, Celtic warriors who resided in what is now modern Spain.

The Cantabrian Wars took place from 29 to 19 B.C., fighting between the Romans and the Cantabri to gain control over the Iberian Peninsula. The first Roman emperor, Octavian, later known as Augustus, fought in this war. Rome was victorious over the Cantabri.

Archaeologists found the skull in a collapsed wall, and believe that the skull was used as a trophy, a symbol to other armies. The skull was that of a local soldier, a man estimated to be around 45 years old.

Illustration: Ruins of a German Oppidum.
Illustration: Ruins of a German Oppidum. (credit: Zack Frank at Shutterstock)

There were no other skeletal remains at the site, nor nearby graves, suggesting that the head was removed from the body, with the rest of the corpse disposed of elsewhere as the settlement was conquered.

A picture of La Loma’s final hours

Surrounding the walls, hundreds of projectiles — arrows — which painted a picture of La Loma’s final hours, with Roman arrows storming the settlement. Fragments or armor and weapons that were likely damaged in hand-to-hand combat between the groups were also found scattered on the ground, researchers wrote in the study.

Upon their victory, the Romans destroyed the walls and the fort.

The flaking of the skull bones and the state of the skull suggested that the skull was out and exposed to the elements, researchers wrote.

This discovery provides both archaeological and genetic evidence to accompany the scarce historical records of the Cantabrian Wars. It sheds light on those who lived through the Roman conquest and the practices of violence, conquest, and psychological warfare used in Roman expansion.

The skull was symbolic: Rome was a force, and this was a harsh warning.