Bronze Age in Spain: Pre-Roman Towns & Tartessos

The Bronze Age in Spain

The Bronze Age in Spain, also known as the MegaLoad period, is characterized by the discovery of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. This discovery allowed the manufacture of stronger utensils and weapons. The use of this new metal produced social differences, as shown by the funerary offerings found in tombs. The most representative cultures of this stage are Los Millares and El Argar.

At the end of the second millennium BC, the El Argar culture gradually disappeared, marking the beginning of the final period of the Bronze Age. The area received numerous influences from within. The chief influence would come from the kingdom of Tartessos at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.

Megalithic Monuments of the Bronze Age

During this age, we find the first megalithic monuments. These are large collective burial sites, also common in the rest of Europe, which appeared in the Atlantic region and are related to the development of religious beliefs. The monuments vary greatly, from dolmens to corridor tombs. They were built with huge stones and roofed with a large, flat slab, although sometimes smaller elements were preferred. They are found throughout mainland Spain, but the most significant lie in eastern Andalusia. They originated in the Neolithic period, early in the fourth millennium BC, and continued until the mid-third millennium BC, and into the Bronze Age.

Pre-Roman Towns: Tartessos

We know of the existence of Tartessos through the Bible, Greek writers, and archaeological discoveries such as the Treasure of El Carambolo and Aliseda (Cáceres).

Origins of the Tartessians

It is unclear who these people were. Some historians believe they may have come to the peninsula alongside the Sea Peoples. Others think they could be Indo-Europeans who settled on the prehistoric people and might have formed cultures from El Argar or the Urnfield culture. With the arrival of the Phoenicians, the kingdom of Tartessos was acculturated.

Tartessos: A Powerful Kingdom

Tartessos was a city located on an island at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River. This city overlooked the Guadalquivir valley and owned a large fleet sailing from the British Isles to the Phoenician coast. Its form of government was a monarchy, and it had a strong social differentiation with the appearance of an aristocracy that controlled most of the wealth.

Tartessos was the only town on the peninsula that had written documents and laws. It maintained good trade relations with the Phoenicians and Greeks.