Baetica
Baetica (Hispania Baetica), an ancient Roman province in Hispania (see map »Roman Empire«), named after the Baetis River (now the Guadalquivir), encompassed the southern part of the country between the Anas River (Guadiana) and Tarraconensian Spain, corresponding to the western part of present-day Andalusia and Granada. Baetica was considered the most fertile of all the Roman provinces and conducted significant trade in its agricultural products, such as linen, woolen cloth, and high-quality weapons. After Egypt, Baetica supplied the most grain to Rome. Strabo counts 250 cities in Baetica, of which Pliny names 185. Its main cities were Gades (Cadiz), Corduba (Cordoba), Hispal (Seville), and Astigi (Ecija). The main ethnic groups of the province were: the Turdetani (of Iberian origin) along the lower reaches of the Anas and Baetis rivers, the Bastulians on the southeast coast, and the Turdulians in the east. The distinct character of these tribes almost entirely disappeared after the Roman conquest of the region in the 2nd century BC; Roman education and customs, in particular, found their way into the Turdetani culture, and several Roman writers from the imperial period, such as Seneca, Lucan, and Mela, came from this part of Spain.
Source: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, 6. Auflage 1905–1909