Hispalis

• a city of Hispania Baetica, now Sevilla, Plin. 2, 97, 100, § 219; Caes. B. C. 2, 18; 20; Asin. Pollio ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 32, 3.—In the neut. form: Hispal, ălis, Mel. 2, 6, 4; Plin. 3, 1, 3, § 11; Sil. 3, 392.—
• II Deriv.: Hispălensis or Hispălĭensis, e, adj., of or belonging to the city Hispalis: Hispalensis conventus, Plin. 3, 1, 3, §§ 7, 11.—Subst.: Hispă-lienses, ium, m. plur., the inhabitants of Hispalis, Tac. H. 1, 78.

HI´SPALIS (Ἵσπαλις: also HISPAL, Mela, 2.6, Sil. Ital.: Eth. Hispaliensis, Adj. Hispalensis: Sevilla), one of the chief cities of Hispania Baetica, stood on the left bank of the Baetis (Guadalquiver), about 500 stadia from its mouth; but still within the tidal part of the river, which was navigable for large vessels up to the city: so that it had, to a great extent, the advantages of a sea-port. It was made a colony by Julius Caesar; and although an attempt seems to have been made to exalt the neighbouring colony of Baetis above it, the very site of which is now doubtful, it ranked, in Strabo's time, among the first cities of Turdetania, next after Corduba and Gades; and afterwards even advanced in dignity: so that, in the time of Ptolemy, it had the title of μητροπόλις, and under the Vandals and Goths it ranked above Corduba, and became the capital of Southern Spain. In the Roman empire it was the seat of a convents juridicus, and bore the titles of JULIA ROMULA and COLONIA ROMULENSIS. (Strab. iii. pp. 141, 142; Hirt. Bell. Alex. 51, 56; Dio Cass.; Plin. Nat. 3.3; Itin. Ant. pp. 410, 413, 416; Ge)g. Rav. 4.45; Philostr. Vit. Apoll. 5.3, 6; Auson. Clar. Urb. 8; Isidor. Etym. 15.1; Inser. ap. Gruter, pp. 201, 257, Orelli, vol. 2. p. 396; Florez, Esp. S. vol. ix. pp. 89, 90; Coins ap. Florez, Med. de Esp. vol. 2. p. 543; Mionnet, vol. 1. p. 24, Suppl. vol 1. p. 42; Eckhel, vol. 1. p. 28.)

more rarely Hispal. The modern Seville, a town of the Turdetani in Hispania Baetica, founded by the Phoenicians, and situated on the left bank of the Baetis, and in reality a seaport, for, although 500 stadia from the sea, the river is navigable for the largest vessels up to the town. Under the Romans it was an important place, with the name Iulia Romŭla or Romulensis, and was surpassed in size by Corduba (Cordova) and Gades alone. Under the Goths and Vandals it was the chief town in the south of Spain; and under the Arabs the capital of a separate kingdom.