Pre-Roman Peoples of the Iberian Peninsula

Peoples of Pre-Roman Iberia

The Peoples of the Peninsula

During the Iron Age, mixed traits evolved from indigenous cultures and influences of the colonizing peoples (Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians).

Tartessos

Tartessos is the oldest culture of the first millennium BC. Nestled in the southwestern region, it reached a certain splendor, first through agriculture and livestock, and later through the exploitation of the mines. Its peak, between the IX and VII centuries BC, coincides with the period in which the Tartessian aristocracy established a business relationship with the Phoenicians, who settled in coastal factories to take the metal in exchange for manufactured products, which acquired the ruling elites.

From the sixth century BC came a progressive decline, coinciding with the end of Phoenician influence and the depletion of mineral resources.

The Iberians

The Iberians spread throughout the Levant area. They were diverse peoples, jealous of their autonomy, with a homogeneous culture, showing clear influences of Greco-Punic and basic features from the development of the peninsular Bronze Age peoples:

• Fortified settlements.
• Agricultural economy.
• Trade with settlers involving handicrafts and minerals.

They reached an important socio-political development, with different forms of government, from aristocracy to monarchy, but strong enough to force the invaders to negotiate. Indigetes, Layetana, Ilergetes, Edetanos, Carpetanos, or Bastetano Turdetans are some examples of such peoples.

The Celts

The Celts are a varied set of people on both plateaus. With obscure Iberian and Celtic influences, they practiced a poor agrarian economy and were grouped in tribal confederations guided by aristocratic groups. From the start of the Iron Age, there were a number of settler villages that had more commitment to secure trade and control of mineral wealth than the Spaniards who settled in our territory, resulting in merely small and temporary settlements.

Foreign Presence and Influence

The Phoenician Presence

The Phoenician presence can be located on the Andalusian coast and interior hinterland and was associated with the Tartessos world. Their remains are rare, but their contributions were important:

• Writing.
• Iron metallurgy.
• Curing industry.
• The potter's wheel.
• Artistic influences.

The Greek Presence

The Greek presence, mostly located in the northeast, is also not abundant in archaeological remains. It is inferred more from the activity of traders in commercial factories and stable colonies, except in the case of Ampurias. However, their cultural influence was notable in the Iberian peoples, as evidenced by the art and language.

The Carthaginian Presence

The Carthaginian presence (from the V to the III century BC) was located especially in the eastern mainland, replacing the former colonizers. It followed two different patterns:

1. Initially focused on commercial factories specialized in exchanges with the Iberians and the control of major mine income.
2. The need for resources led them to conquer all of southern Spain and appropriate the sources of wealth.

The vessels covered by the Iberian countries prepared what was inevitable: a confrontation with Rome.