Juliobriga

Juliobriga (Spanish: Julióbriga, Latin: Iuliobriga, Ancient Greek: Ἰουλιόβριγα) was the most important urban centre in Roman Cantabria, as stated by numerous Latin authors including Pliny the Elder.

[1] The site has traditionally been identified with ruins in the village of Retortillo (Cantabria) and its Villafría district, in the municipality of Campoo de Enmedio.

[2] The founding of Juliobriga, during the Cantabrian Wars (29–19 BC), made it a powerful symbol of Roman domination of the tribes of the Cantabri.

[4] Due to its strategic location in the Besaya valley, Juliobriga was able to control trade between the Douro river and the Bay of Biscay.

Numerous historians and archaeologists have worked on the site since, including some of Spain's foremost.