Pre-Roman Iberia: Phoenician, Greek, and Celtic Influences
Pre-Roman Colonizations of Iberia: Greek and Phoenician Protohistory
Protohistory is the transition period between prehistory and history, applied to cultures which, although not yet writing, had contact with people who attest to them.
The Colonized Peoples
After the invasion of the Sea Peoples, the Iberian Peninsula was bypassed by civilization. Greeks and Phoenicians sailed to the West, lured by the mineral riches of the Iberian Peninsula. Later, the Carthaginians maintained three types of relationships:
- Massively colonized territories where the native element was not taken into account.
- Territories implanted in a string of coastal factories affected by business contacts without urban development.
Phoenician Colonization
Geography: The Phoenicians settled in the country of Canaan, which possessed good natural harbors and abundant cedar wood and resin for shipbuilding.
Economy: They developed feverish mining activity in the southeast and the Sierra Morena, fishing and salting, sauces, and the purple dye industry. They traded with the Tartessians.
Contributions: They served as an economic and cultural bridge between East and West, spread navigation techniques, and brought iron, the potter’s wheel, and the alphabet.
Greek Colonization
Geography: Coming from Phocis, they founded Massilia in southern France, which dominated the peninsula up to Ampurdán in the northeast and on the Catalan coast. Colonies such as Hemeroskopion and Akra Leuke were influential.
Economics: They developed intense commercial activity in Spain, as shown by the remains of Greek pottery in inland towns of the peninsula.
Contributions: They introduced vines and olive trees, plowing techniques, fine metalwork, and the drachma coin.
Carthaginian Colonization
Geography: Carthage was an ancient colony founded in 814 BC by Tyre.
Policy: It was a republic and slaveholding oligarchy, whose power rested with powerful families like the Barca.
Economy: It was based on modern agriculture and control of Phoenician factories.
Pre-Romanesque Peoples of the Iron Age II (500 BC)
Tartessos
Geography: Tartessos must have been a city or state at the mouth of the Guadalquivir.
Politics: The Phoenician cultural impact elevated them to the rank of civilization. Malls eventually became kings who controlled towns.
Society: They exhibited more distinctive and advanced characteristics than those of neighboring towns.
Economy: They were good sailors in contact with the Canary Islands and traded with Phoenicians and Greeks.
Culture: Until recently, there was limited data about Tartessos, but more information is allowing us to know them better.
Iberians
Geography: They stretched from Cape La Nao to the Rhone.
Politics: They never formed a political unit. The cities were located in high, walled places.
Society: The basis of social organization was the clan and tribe, in addition to status within the tribe.
Economy: They engaged in agriculture and livestock farming, emphasizing the cultivation of esparto and silver mining near Carthage.
Culture: It was the fruit of the heritage of the Neolithic peninsular people and the influx of Greeks and Phoenicians.
Celts
Geography: They settled in the Plateau and the northwest.
Politics: Coming from Central Europe, they were Indo-European.
Society: The basis of social organization was the clan and tribe.
Economy: They based their economy more on livestock than on agriculture.
Culture: They were more primitive than the Iberians.