Antiquities Exhibits

The Visigoths were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity, or what is known as the Migration Period. The Visigoths emerged from earlier Gothic groups, including a large group of Thervingi, who had moved into the Roman Empire beginning in 376 CE and had played a major role in defeating the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378 CE. Relations between the Romans and the Visigoths were variable, alternately warring with one another and making treaties when convenient. Under their first leader, Alaric I, they invaded Italy and sacked Rome in August 410 CE. Afterwards, they began settling down, first in southern Gaul and eventually in Hispania, where they founded the Visigothic Kingdom and maintained a presence from the 5th to the 8th centuries CE. The Visigoths were never called Visigoths, only Goths, until Cassiodorus used the term, when referring to their loss against C...

Roman, Visigoth, and Moorish art at the Museo de Cuenca in Cuenca, Spain. This museum, situated in the Casa Curato de San Martín, provides a journey through the history of Cuenca. The ground floor is dedicated to prehistory from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age and includes artifacts from the Neolithic Verdelpino Shelter and the Bronze Age idol of Chillarón and the sword of Carboneras. The first floor features finds from the Rom an world. The collection includes everything from ceramic pieces and utensils to statues, column capitals, precious metalwork and coins from the Roman towns of Segóbriga, Valeria and Ercávica. You will find Visigoth and Moorish artifacts from the third to 18th century on the second floor. All of the exhibits are accompanied by illustrative panels, which enhance their educational value. Note, this museum houses some of the finds from the Villa de Noheda. Bust of Lucius Caesar from the forum of Ercávica, Cuenca courtesy of Wikimedia contributor Angel ...