Reccopolis

Reccopolis (Spanish: Recópolis ) was a late antique and early medieval city of the Western Goth in Spain. It was located on the Cerro de la Oliva ( " Olive Hill" ) near the present-day village of Zorita de los Canes in the province of Guadalajara in central Spain, east of Madrid. The name of the region at that time was " Celtiberia ".

Reccopolis was founded by the Visigoth Leovigild ( 569-586 ) in 578. This step belongs in the context of Leovigild " Imperialisierung " of the Visigoth kingdom by demonstrative exercise traditional prerogatives of the Roman and Eastern Roman Emperor. The founding of cities was not common and did not occur when the Visigoths before Leovigild in the Germanic kingdoms of the early Middle Ages.

The contemporary chronicler John of Biclaro reported that Leovigild the city after his younger son and eventual successor Reccared I. named. Reccared was for 573 as well as his older brother Hermenegild nominal co-ruler Leovigild. The name of the city after him, while the older brother was apparently given no similar ceremony is a sign of a conspicuous preference Rekkareds in the year 578 until 579 came the break between Hermenegild and Leovigild than Hermenegild began a revolt against his father, which he lost the position of an heir apparent. This was henceforth exclusively to Reccared.

Recently, a different etymology of the city name is being considered, namely, not " city Rekkareds " but derive rex (king), thus " royal city ". The reasoning for this is, that would be in making a designation according to Reccared the name " Reccaredopolis "; for the reduction of Reccaredo -to it Recco is no precedent. However, the derivation of rex is linguistically at least as problematic as the other solution, and it is contrary to the express approval of the contemporaries of John Biclaro.

Suspicions that Reccopolis was designed as a new imperial capital, are speculative. It was there a mint, still under King Witiza ( 702-710 ) was active, but was never in Reccopolis a bishop's seat, and in the resulting Visigothic documents, the city is not mentioned anywhere. Aside from the mention in John Biclarensis the existence of the town is attested only by coins with their name and by the archaeological record. This shows an extensive area (ca. 33 ha) with a large, richly decorated church and a monumental building that can be interpreted as a palace of the royal family. Maybe it was a certain to use temporary residence. The settlement was inhabited in the Islamic period, but fell in the 8th and 9th centuries.

The site was already at the end of the 19th century known, but the excavations began only in 1944 / 45th So far, only a small portion is definitively resolved; of future excavations are further insights to be expected. The site now bears the name of Parque de Archaeological Recópolis.