Spain, 1001 Sights: An Archaeological and Historical Guide

David W. Rupp is a professor in the Classics Department, Brock
University.

Spain is a large, diverse nation with a rich and intricate cultural
history stretching back to the Middle Paleolithic period. These factors
have produced a proud and self-sufficient cultural identity. Unlike some
European and Mediterranean countries that have a plethora of
archeological/historical guide books in every language, Spain’s are
written almost exclusively in Spanish. Therefore, this compact and
portable guide should have a ready market among anglophones—until
something better is written.

The author, who has lived and worked in Spain, travelled to its
remotest corners, led in-depth tours of the Iberian Peninsula, and done
considerable research on ancient Hispanic languages and cultures, has
chosen to limit his coverage of Spain’s cultural heritage to “the
earliest period down to the Moslem conquest in the year AD 711.” In
doing so, he has consciously chosen not to overemphasize “the most
spectacular attractions” at the expense of the myriad of other sites
and monuments, and the “traveller is directed to the
‘undiscovered’ sites not found in any detail, if at all, in guide
books.”

Anderson sketches Spain’s geography and history before attacking the
“sights and sites.” Short chapters are devoted to prehistory, Iron
Age, Celts and Celtiberians, Iberians, Roman Spain, the Paleo-Christian
and Early Christian periods, the Moslem conquest, and the Hispano-Jewish
communities. He then outlines 17 suggested thematic routes. A glossary,
bibliography, and index of towns and villages complete the book.

The sites are organized alphabetically by region and by province within
the region into sections. Each section has a brief introduction and
provides a basic road map to orient the reader. Each site is succinctly
put into context and its salient attractions described. Helpful
directions on how to find it are provided, and small, but sharp,
black-and-white photos of monuments are included every 10 or so pages.

While this guide fulfils Anderson’s stated goal of “assisting the
traveller in ascertaining what sites and sights lie along the route,
their degree of accessibility, what conditions may be expected, and how
to find them,” it is essentially useless when you are actually at the
individual sites, since no site maps or plans are included to identify
the specific monuments and their location. While the guide may serve as
a “handy reference for those who cannot visit the sites,” it really
does not fulfil the function of an all-inclusive guide that “can be
fruitfully employed as a field manual for travellers,” as Anderson
claims. This guide is, alas, only a place to start to plan an
archaeologically oriented trip to Spain. The complete English guide has
yet to be written.