Hispania is the national personification of Spain.
The antecedent of this representation were some coins on which there was a horseman holding a lance and the legend HISPANORVM. These coins corresponded to the first half of the 2nd century BC and were minted in Morgantina (Sicily). These coins were carried out by the Hispanic mercenaries who received the government of this Sicilian city by order of the Roman Senate during the Second Punic War.
The first representation of Hispania appeared during the Roman Republic as the head of a woman with the legend HISPAN, and was minted in Rome by the Roman family Postumia (81 B.C.). Since then different coins emerged with allegorical representations of Hispania with different characteristics during the entire Roman era.
Like other coins with provincial allegories, it would fall into disuse due to the prevalence of symbols of Rome and Constantinople being minted on coins and would not reappear until the Spanish peseta, which itself was based upon the allegory used during the reign of Hadrian. From then on, the allegory would be made into monuments, statues and reliefs.
Hispania in numismatics
The antecedent of the allegory of Hispania was a series of coins minted in Morgantina (Sicily) by Hispanic mercenaries who ruled this city by order of the Senate during the Second Punic War. In these, an equine horseman with a spear and with the legend HISPANORVM was represented. The next known reference to Hispania was a coin minted by the Annia family where the legend appears: L. F. FABI. L.F. HISP. / Q which was an abbreviation for Lucius Fabius L.f. Hispaniensis / Quaestor. This coin was minted to commemorate the participation of Lucius Fabius during a campaign in Hispania in the Sertorian War.
The beginnings
The first representation of Hispania arose in the Roman Republic. It consisted of a woman's head with the legend HISPAN. It was minted in Rome by the Postumia family in 81 a. C. referring to his predecessor L. Postumius Albinus, who was praetor in the year 180 B.C. and sent to Hispania as governor, standing out for his victories against Lusitanians and Vacceos. The representation denotes the identity of the Iberian Peninsula as Hispania despite being divided at that time into Citerior and Ulterior.
During the civil wars of Pompey the Great against Julius Caesar, his son Gnaeus Pompey minted a new denary from Baetica (probably near Corduba), which shows Hispania on the reverse as a full-length, standing woman presenting a palm to the son of Pompey the Great. Some authors, such as A. Burgos, believe that it represents Baetica. However, the two spears and the round shield (caetra) seem more like an allusion to Hispania.
There are also other coins related to Hispania, such as several denarius from the Annia gens (82–81 BC.) with the legend HIS alluding to Hispania, but without allegorical representation. Other denarii of the Coelia family (51 BC.) with the same legend inscribed on a standard and the wild boar, symbol of the city of Clunia (Hispania Tarraconense) in commemoration of the victories of Caius Coelius, governor of the Citerior. There is also a denarius from the gens Fundania (101 BC.) that probably refers to the victory over Numancia. Another from the gens Fabia (127 a. C.), probably commemorating the victories over the Lusitanians and their leader Viriathus.
Rise and consolidation
In the period of the so-called Pax Romana new allegorical representations of Hispania were created. At this time, the Hispanic peninsula was divided into three regions: Tarraconensis, Lusitania and Bætica. However, the coins minted by Galba, Vitellius and Vespasian (68–69 AD period) show Hispania as a unit and were issued in Hispania from Tarraco, but not only in Hispania, but also in Rome and in some places in Gaul.
The legend HISPANIA appeared for the first time in the Galba empire, complete with two types of representations: One with a bust of a young woman and the other with a full-length woman; both stamped with laurel and dressed in a stole and tunic, their attributes being the ears of corn —symbol of fertility— and two indigenous weapons, the short javelins and the round shield or caetra. The series of denarii issued by Galba in Tarraco (from April to June 68 AD) represent the emperor in an equestrian position oriented to the left and in others to the right or his bust on the obverse and with the legend HISPANIA. It has the attributes of spikes, javelins and caetra. Its corresponding gold coin was possibly also minted in Tarraco.
A golden coin with Hispania in full length also appears at that time. It shows the bust of the emperor Augustus deified with radiated crown and on the back the allegory of Hispania, shelf and carrying ears of wheat in his right hand, two javelins and the caetra with his left hand, with the legend HISPANIA at the top.
Galba honored Clunia for giving him shelter in the early days of the rebellion and for having proclaimed him emperor on the death of Nero. For this reason, he would mint an impressive sestertius in Rome with the legend HISPANIA CLVNIA SVL(PICIA) S C. on its reverse. In this Galba appears seated in a curule chair, holding the parazonium and receiving Palladium at the hands of the representation of the goddess of the city who carries cornucopia.
The allegory of Hispania standing, with its usual attributes and the legend HISPANIA also appears with Vespasian (69–70 AD).
Hadrian made frequent trips to many provinces of the Empire, and to commemorate these trips in a propagandistic way, coins relating to these trips were minted by each province. One of them corresponds to Hadrian's trip to Hispania. The most famous allegory of Hispania was coined in Rome; it was a female figure with a long tunic, stamped with laurel or olive, reclining to the left, with her left arm on some rocks, which could refer to the Pyrenees. With his right hand he holds an olive branch. At the feet of the figure appears a rabbit, the animal that the Phoenicians theoretically used to name the peninsula: Hishphanim.
In 269 AD the usurper Laelian minted a gold coin with the legend TEMPORVM FELICITAS alluding to its Hispanic origin and once again rescued the allegory of Hispania from Hadrian's model. It would be the last to appear until 1869.
Declining Rome and Constantinople monopolized all the protagonism in the monetary actions. The continuous changes in the division of the administrative office of the Empire had left aside the old provinces and their allegories.
Early Modern ages' medals
The figure of Hispania as matron with the olive branch and the rabbit as it appeared in the period of the Roman Empire will not appear again on any coin until the 19th century, although Hispania will appear in some medals that were created from the 16th century to the 18th century, although with a more martial attitude, very similar to Britannia wearing a Corinthian helmet and armed with a spear.
Reappearance in currency in the 19th century In 1869 queen Isabel II is overthrown and the search for a new king begins. In that year the peseta was born with the allegory of Hispania from the time of Hadrian —in a recumbent position and with an olive branch—. The difference is that it was crowned with a mural crown instead of a laurel wreath and they added a rock alluding to Gibraltar. However, no reference to Hispania or Spain appeared. Later they would add the legend ESPAÑA.
In the transition period between the overthrow and the establishment of the First Republic (1869–1873), several different coins were minted representing Hispania, always reclining, on a rock or sitting with a lion. Among these, stands out a gold coin from 1870 —which was never issued— with a value of 100 pesetas and which represented Hispania standing up and without a mural crown.
Allegory of the First and Second Spanish Republic
This return to oblivion of the allegory was a perfect portrait to represent both the allegories of the First Republic and the Second Republic, also known as "La niña bonita" (the pretty girl). The first will appear with a phrygian cap and with a rooster very similar to Marianne and the second will be a version more faithful to Hispania that will appear on coins and banknotes issued by the republic. In any case, the allegory of the Second Republic will sometimes appear dressed in the mural crown, with a phrygian cap or with laurel crown, in addition to occasionally carrying olive branch. Therefore, the allegory of the First Republic was a version inspired by the French Marianne, since she always wore a Phrygian hat and appeared next to a gallic rooster (allegory of France), however that of the Second, depending on her attire, was more similar to Marianne or Hispania, in any case, regardless of the attire with which she was represented, she was always accompanied by the hispanic lion, an attribute inexorably associated with Hispania .
As an example, the Second Republic issued in 1933 a silver coin worth one peseta, which featured a woman with an olive branch, but this time in a seated position. This representation was considered as the allegory of the Republic, but the olive branch suggests that in this case it is an allegory of Hispania converted into an allegory of the Republic.
A year before the civil war broke out (1936), a 10-peseta bill was issued with the head of a woman with a mural crown. During the Spanish Civil War, the brass minted coin, known as "La rubia" (the blond) was possibly the most popular one peseta coin on the republican side and featured a female bust and with the u for REPVBLICA with v as in the Latin, another sign of the influence of Roman currency in the allegory of the Republic as if trying to imitate the Roman coins minted with the allegory of Hispania in their day.
The allegory at the end of the peseta
The last minting of the peseta was in 2001. On January 1, 2002, it was replaced by the euro. Coins of 100 pesetas (also known as 20 duros) and 2000 pesetas in silver were then minted to commemorate the peseta, and the same image was represented as when it was born: the allegory of Hispania based on Hadrian's model but with a mural crown, exactly as it was reborn in the 19th century together with the Peseta.
With the arrival of the euro, no representation has the allegory. However, a medal with the symbolic value of 30 euros was created with the allegory of Hispania on its reverse as a commemoration of the European monetary agreement.
Hispania in sculpture Hispania has also often been represented in sculpture. The first representation in sculpture was perhaps that of Augustus of Prima Porta at the time of the Roman Empire. After this, we would have to wait for the 19th century, with the arrival of the romanticism movement, which awakened nationalism in the West, often recalling the past, and the neoclassicism that sought to imitate the classic works of the Antiquity.
Both currents promoted the creation of sculptural representations throughout Europe, with the allegories of the ancient Roman provinces in the form of women, as the Romans coined in their time on their coins. Thus the personifications of Britannia, Germania, Italia Turrita and Hispania were resurrected.
Augustus of Prima Porta
On the breastplate of the statue of Augustus of Prima Porta Hispania appears on the right hand side (on the left when looking at the sculpture). It is found behind the back of Mars, god of war, in a seated and afflicted position carrying the gladius hispaniensis. The fact that it has been represented with its back to Mars and defeated alludes to the victory of Augustus against cantabrians and astures.
Pediment of Palacio de las Cortes