History of Prehistoric and Roman Hispania

First Settlers of the Iberian Peninsula

• Lower Palaeolithic: Homo antecessor, the first settler of Europe, with remains found at Atapuerca. Utilized tools made from large stones.
• Middle Palaeolithic: Homo neanderthalensis. Increased intellectual capacity, more sophisticated tools, and the practice of the first burials.
• Upper Palaeolithic: Homo sapiens. Diversified lithic industry with smaller, processed pieces and the emergence of the first artistic expressions.
• Epipalaeolithic: Milder weather conditions, hunting and gathering economy, and the creation of stylized artistic figures.

Agrarian Revolution and Metallurgy

• Neolithic: Introduction of ceramics, a productive economy, livestock, and the cultivation of wheat and rye. Use of pit tombs and funerary complexes.
• Metallurgy:
  • Chalcolithic: Use of copper and the construction of major megalithic buildings.
  • Beaker Culture: Metal-linked trade between agropastoral communities.
  • Bronze Age: Use of bronze, notably the Argaric culture in the southeast of the peninsula.

La Hispania Romana

Stages of Roman Conquest

• Submission of the Iberian World (~175 BC): Rome rapidly conquered the main Carthaginian enclaves in the Mediterranean.
• Conquest of the Plateau: Focused on the Lusitanian peoples and the Celtiberians of the plateau and Atlantic coast.
• Campaigns against the Highlanders: The Cantabrians and Asturians were targeted, with military camps established to prevent looting.

Romanization and Decline

Romanization was the process of implementing Roman lifestyles, social and economic organization, and the Latin language. It promoted private property, slavery, and a commercialized economy using the silver denarius.

Decline: Caused by economic crises and the fragmentation of land into large estates.

The End of the Western Empire and the Visigothic Kingdom (409–711)

The division of the Roman Empire, pressure from Germanic peoples, and the decadence of the West led tribes to enter Visigothic Hispania. The Visigoths established their capital in Toledo. Kings attempted to maintain the unity of the kingdom through the unification of religion and legal codes for both Hispanics and Visigoths.

The monarchy remained unstable, heavily influenced by the nobility and clergy, characterized by powerful estate lords and frequent regicides. In 711, the Muslim conquest of the peninsula began.