Numancia: Paragon of Universal Human Freedom

Celebrated by Pliny, Livy, and Cicero, the ancient city of Numancia rests atop a commanding promontory near modern Soria. In the mid-2nd century B.C. it became the stage of one of the most bloody and protracted wars waged by Rome, known as the Celtiberian Wars. The local Celtiberians were overtaken by the Roman legions between 153 and 133 B.C., after the Senate of Rome sent its most prestigious general, P. Cornelio Scipio, the conqueror of Carthage, to besiege the city. To end the resistance, he built seven encampments, connected by a wall 5.5-miles (9-kilometers) long, whose structure is still visible today, along with the nearly intact countryside that the Celtiberians themselves beheld during the bitter years of the Roman conquest. Like the defiant Celtiberians, this important archaeological settlement and its wider historical environment have endured as a symbol of resilience. However, plans to construct an industrial park, an urban complex, and a housing development will irreversibly alter this highly significant yet undervalued landscape. In 2010, Numancia, Spain, was added to the World Monuments Fund Watch list.

Description courtesy of WMF.

AMALIO DE MARICHALAR Y SÁENZ DE TEJADA, Count of Ripalda (b. 1958, Pamplona, Spain) independently studied law, political science and sociology at the Complutense University, Madrid, and an MBA Agricultural Business, Instituto de Empresa, Madrid. His professional activities encompass sectors including innovations in the fields of insurance (founder of Armed Forces Peacekeeper insurance, Spain), international investment, foreign trade, real estate, and technology. He is Professor at the Society of International Studies (SEI, Madrid), Member of the Council of the European Environmental Foundation (Freiburg, Germany), and President of Soria 21 Forum for Sustainable Development. He organizes and participates in prestigious international conferences on Global Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Corporate Social Responsibility including United Nations and World Bank initiatives. Marichalar proposes the understanding of culture and sustainability as the best moral inheritance of society, standing as the “fourth pillar” of development and the cornerstone upon which to support the healthy growth of present and future generations.

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