THE STORY BEHIND A PLACE NAME
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Historians believe that the town of Cabra, situated in the province of Cordoba, has been settled since Paleolithic times. The Turdetani, the Andalusian descendants of the Tartessos, first settled in the area during the first millennium BCE, where they are said to have created a market town, although its name remains a mystery.
There appears to be no confusion, however, concerning the origins of the current place name, which comes directly from its Greek name, Aigagros, which means mountain goat. This name referred to the abundance of goats in the mountains that surround the town.
Some authors claim that the Greeks built a grandiose temple here dedicated to the goddess Tyche, which was later named by the Romans as the goddess Fortune.
During the Roman era, the town was called Licabrum, which, in the third century BCE, was an opulent and well-fortified settlement that participated in the general uprising against Rome.
Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the town was taken by the Visigoths, who called it Egabro.
Most academics, including Francisco Javier Mora, who specialises in the history of Cabra, claim that all of the town's previous names were simply an evolution of the Greek name.
It would appear that even the Moorish invaders, who arrived in the eighth century, followed this pattern by naming the town Qabra. The town was documented in 1079, when the Battle of Cabra took place, a battle fought by El Cid 'the champion' and the Castilian army of King Alfonso VI against the ruler of Granada, Abdallah.
When the Christians retook the town in the 13th century, the name was Latinised to Cabra, the Spanish word for goat.
Cabra is still popular for its mountain goats today, hence its coat of arms includes two goats in its design.
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