It really is amazing what a major yet often unidentified role Spain played in Rome’s history. Stilo’s account is excellent, though he leaves out the Sertorian rebellion that Cimon mentioned (presumably because it was not an entirely native action). I also note that much of the difficulty arose from the senate meddling in or not accepting decisions made on the spot by Roman generals; how many times was a negotiated peace rejected? Not only does there seem to have been almost constant military action (at least at the guerilla level) for over two centuries, but Iberia seems to have been one heck of a power base.

Sertorius carved out his own little kingdom, lording it over Lusitanians and anti-Sullan Romans who fled to him during the worst of the proscriptions. If he had been more ambitious, he might have been able to do a lot more. According to Suetonius, Caesar was in Spain as a quaestor when he plotted his first coup (though that was meant to be based in northern Italy). Spain was a key theater in the civil wars. If I recall correctly, at least one of Pompey’s sons was based in Spain. Long after Caesar, it would be where Galba gathered his forces to overthrow Nero and where Otho would make his name and fortune. Although of Roman family, Trajan was the first emperor from outside of Italy; both he and Hadrian were from Spain.

And here’s a much subtler way Spain influenced the course of Roman history. Africanus Minor was there during the chaotic tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus, his brother-in-law and adoptive cousin (I think). Now he was opposed to Gracchus’ politics and supposedly said that the murder of Gracchus was just, but he was also opposed to the optimates and with his gravitas might have been able to keep the senate from resorting to outright murder. Also with him on his staff was Gaius Gracchus, who might well not have survived had he been in Rome. It’s a pretty big “what if”, but Roman history might well have gone very differently had he been in Rome instead of Spain.

Spain was rich in many ways, so I suppose it was a logical place for intrigue and power consolidation. There was gold and silver there, though perhaps not as much as Lucullus and Galba hoped, and southern Spain is still decent olive country. It wasn’t Egypt, by any means, but it does seem to have been a place to stir ambitions.