Les tours rurales et les maisons fortes de l’Hispanie romaine: éléments pour un bilan

The historical problem of so-called "fortified enclosures"—isolated towers and fortified houses from the Republican and early Imperial periods—is re-examined in light of recent publications. Recognizing the profound diversity of local contexts in each region where these types of rural settlements are documented should not obscure the need for a comprehensive historical reflection. From this perspective, chronology is a crucial piece of information, on which little progress has been made in the last decade. A comparative study with other areas of the Mediterranean (understood as an analogical approach to reflect on functionalities, and not as a tool for seeking models or prototypes) reinforces the idea that economic functions, prestige architecture, and defensive concerns are inextricably linked, and it would be illogical to claim a single, exclusive function for such constructions. Finally, two passages from Pliny the Elder ( NH , II 181 and XXXV 169) are examined, which have served as a pretext for relating –incorrectly– the "fortified enclosures" of Baetica with Hannibal.