"The fall of Numantia was more noble than that of the capital of Africa, and the conqueror of Carthage obtained the victory only when the enemies had been consumed by famine or by self-destruction"
Lempriere's Classical Dictionary connents on Scipio Africanus, conqueror of Numantia.
The Celtiberians, Celtic tribes on the Iberian peninsula, put up a 20 year resistance to everything Rome sent their way--until they sent their best General, Publio Conrnelio Scipio, or Scipio Africanus. Even so, it still took eleven months of hard siege before the city fell in the summer of 133 B.C. Survivors choose suicide, the few who didn't were sold as slaves.
Numantia was so important to Spain that Miguel de Cervantes wrote a play about the Siege called El Cerco De Numancia - The Siege of Numantia.
So now you know.
Because of both Celtic and Roman occupations, the archaeological site of Numantia has a couple of interesting features--typical reconstructions of celtic and Roman houses, complete with cooking utensils, beds, and furniture. Although the site is smaller than you might imagine, it's fascinating to take the archaeological walk and see the various "neighborhoods." At the end of the slide show, there is info on visiting and getting more info on Numantia.
