Italica (Spanish: Itálica) north of modern-day Santiponce, 9 km northwest of Seville in southern Spain, was an Italic settlement founded by the Roman general Scipio in the province of Hispania Baetica. It was the birthplace of Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and possibly Theodosius.[1][2][3] It flourished under the reign of Hadrian, becoming an elaborate urban centre and achieving a significant political and economic status in the region. The modern town of Santiponce overlies the pre-Roman Iberian settlement and part of the well-preserved Roman city.