Prehistory and Ancient Peoples of the Iberian Peninsula: From Colonizers to Romanization

Colonizers and Peoples of the Iberian Peninsula

The first peoples of the Iberian Peninsula were the Indo-Europeans, who arrived in the 6th century BC from Central Europe. They spoke Indo-European languages, settled in the Meseta, and dedicated themselves to the iron industry, agriculture and livestock. They practiced cremation, depositing the ashes in urns, and buried their dead in cemeteries known as necropolises.

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians, peoples from the eastern Mediterranean, were attracted by the rich deposits of copper, silver and gold in southern Iberia. By the end of the 2nd millennium BC, they founded their colonies on the southern coast, such as Gadir (Cádiz), introducing writing, ceramics and urban life. Their commercial establishments were key to trade with the indigenous peoples, who learned to use the plow and improved their cultivation and livestock.

The Greeks

The Greeks landed on the eastern coast of the peninsula in the 8th century BC. They founded Emporion (Empúries) and other colonial enclaves such as Mainake (Málaga). Each established contacts with indigenous neighbors, boosting commercial and cultural exchange.

The Carthaginians

The Carthaginians continued the colonizing work begun by the Phoenicians. They founded colonies such as Villaricos and Ibiza (Ebusus) and the city of Cartagena (Carthago Nova).

The Tartessians

The Tartessians were located between Huelva, Seville and Cádiz. Their wealth was based on agriculture, livestock, fishing and the exploitation of copper and tin, controlling the trade route from the Atlantic. The Carthaginians eventually dominated the region, and the Tartessians and their successors, the Turdetani, disappeared as a distinct people.

The Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution brought profound changes: the development of agriculture and livestock, pottery, textiles, and a sedentary lifestyle that gave rise to urban settlements. Stone was polished to make tools. Communication improved through language, mobility, the wheel, the cart and navigation, and signaling through smoke and fire.

The creation of surpluses led to barter and trade. Society became divided into a hierarchy based on power, religion and wealth. The sexual division of labor assigned men to hunting, long-distance travel, dangerous tasks, crafts and agriculture, while women were associated with abstract thought and religion. Demographic growth followed, as more individuals survived and lived longer.

The Romanization of Hispania

Provincial Administration

Roman administration included the praetor, the propraetor, the quaestor, the censor, the aediles, the tribunes of the plebs and the decemvirs.

Imperial Society

Roman society was organized into the princeps, the ordo (senatorial and equestrian orders), the plebs, foreigners, freedmen and slaves.

Types of Cities

Roman cities were classified as colonies, municipalities, free cities, federated cities and stipendiary cities.

Roman Law Rights

Roman citizens enjoyed the ius connubii (right of marriage), the ius commercii (right of commerce), the ius provocationis (right of appeal), the ius suffragii (right to vote) and the ius honorum (right to hold public office).