Sobre la fecha de promulgación del edictum de latinidad vespasianeo a las provincias hispanas (Plin., N.H. 3.30): entre el ‘Año de los cuatro emperadores’ y la censura imperial del 73/74

Abstract

One of the many debates surrounding the edict of Latinity granted by Vespasian to the Hispanic provinces concerns the date of its promulgation. The only direct source we have on this legal event, Pliny the Elder (N.H. 3.30), says nothing about when exactly this new right was given to the Hispani. For this reason, for decades discussion has favoured either an early date (c. 70/71 AD) or a traditional later date (c. 73/74 AD) for this grant. In these pages we will deal with this debate, analyzing aspects such as the role of the civil war of 68-69 AD, the imperial censorship of Vespasian and Titus, the censuses carried out in Hispania in these years, the Hispanic public dedications in honor of the Flavian principes, etc. In this way, we will try to show that, in light of the available documentation, none of the arguments put forward in favor of the year 70/71 AD for this concession carries greater weight than the arguments that indicate the traditional date of 73/74 AD.