Discourses of antiquity in early medieval Iberia

ABSTRACT During the early Middle Ages, the Iberian Peninsula was the scene of a political and religious conflict in which antiquity played a surprisingly significant role. From the time of the Islamic conquest, Umayyad emirs, Christians kings, and local cities and aristocratic families turned their eyes to the past, looking for elements to create their own memories, identities, and discourses. Antiquity was used as a tool, generating explanations to understand and legitimize the present. However, the process of reception and the discourses of legitimacy that were invoked have not been properly considered since only the Christian discourse managed to survive, due to the “Reconquista” as well as modern Spanish nationalistic and Catholic historiography.