Illiturgis

[4] Illiturgis was a city of Hispania Baetica and was situated on steep mountainous terrain located on the northern side of the River Baetis.

It is on the road to the neighboring cities of Corduba and Castulo, which is believed to be a five-day march from Carthago Nova, modern day Cartagena, Spain.

After it was destroyed, the second location is believed to have been part of the area around the modern city of Andujar, where the church of St. Potenciana currently stands.

This is a possible theory, as it suggests that Illiturgis was much deeper in the enemy's territory which was near Mengibar, a few miles south of Bailen.

This act would serve the Romans well, as they gained the support of the inhabitants of the city to help them defend their home against the Carthaginians.

Rome was very successful in capturing three of the Carthaginian camps, ultimately causing the siege of Illiturgis to be abandoned.

[5] During the Second Punic War, Rome had been betrayed by numerous communities within Spain, and it was clear to the Romans that these towns were well aware of their tyranny.

The young Scipio Africanus was the only one who asked to undertake the re-subjugation of Spain and in particular the cities that had betrayed Rome.

In 206 BC, Scipio marched for five days with an army to the city of Illiturgis, where he planned to seize control of the land and destroy every building and inhabitant for their wrongdoings against Rome.

After this, Scipio rallied his men in an encouraging speech where he demanded that the Spaniards be punished in the most severe manner for their crimes.

Once the people of the city saw how Publius Cornelius Scipio had dealt with Illiturgis and its betrayal, they feared that they would meet a similar fate.

[7] The citizens of Astapa (nowadays Estepa) interpreted the severity of the treatment Illiturgis differently from the people of Castulo.

However, Livy believes that the city had acted out of fear of facing justice in general, not because of Scipio's extreme actions at Illiturgis.