NUMANTIA

a Celtiberian town located near modern Soria in Spain on the upper Douro (Duero) River. Founded on the site of earlier settlements by Iberians who penetrated the Celtic highlands about 300 BC, it later formed the centre of Celtiberian resistance to Rome, withstanding repeated attacks. Finally, Scipio Aemilianus (Numantinus) blockaded it (133 BC) by establishing six miles of continuous ramparts around it. After an eight-month siege, Numantia was reduced by hunger, and the survivors capitulated, its destruction ending all serious resistance to Rome in Celtiberia. Numantia was later rebuilt by the emperor Augustus, but it had little importance.