Pre-Roman Peoples and Colonization of Iberia
Pre-Roman Peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
This section outlines the indigenous peoples of the Iberian Peninsula before Roman arrival and the main pre-Roman groups, detailing their chronological and geographical situation.
In the vast period from the Paleolithic era to Roman domination, the Iberian Peninsula was configured as a land of diverse peoples, heterogeneous in their ethnic, economic, social, and cultural development.
Celts
In the early first millennium BC, Celts settled in the Iberian Peninsula. The Celts, an Indo-European people, established themselves in sparsely populated areas of the mid-west region. They brought knowledge of iron metallurgy, new farming techniques, and new animals. In the sparsely populated center of the peninsula, they became the fundamental social and ethnic element. In contrast, in the northwest, where the population was larger, they imposed themselves and served as a dominant minority. They set up defensive sites, known as castros, on hilltops and mountains, protected by large walls.
Iberians
The Iberians occupied the southeast half of the peninsula and comprised a wide range of peoples. These Mediterranean-influenced groups had a more complex economy, reflecting the influence of Eastern peoples. Besides cereal farming, vineyards, and olive groves, they developed significant mining, handicraft industries, and trade. Some important towns grew, representing early urban life. Gades, Malaka, Corduba, and Hispalis were among the first major cities, governed by monarchical political organizations.
Celtiberians
In the area of contact between these two major cultural areas (Celts and Iberians), a mixed culture emerged, featuring ethnic, economic, and cultural characteristics of both groups. This is known as the Celtiberian cultural sphere.
Tartessos
There was an early attempt at broader political unification by Tartessos, a people who brought the entire southern part of the peninsula under their power. The splendor of the Tartessian period coincided with Phoenician trade. They operated their own mines using enslaved people and sold their products to the Phoenicians. They even participated in the search for minerals in the northwest, either by sea routes or via the land route known as the ‘Via de la Plata’.
Mediterranean Colonization in Iberia
Phoenicians and Greeks
Phoenicians and Greeks were the main protagonists of Mediterranean trade. Their trade routes sought tin from the northwest peninsula and the British Isles, as well as silver, copper, and gold from the mining areas of the southern Peninsula (Murcia, AlmerÃa, Sierra Morena, Huelva).
To ensure the security of trade routes, they established trading posts and settlements along the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands starting in the 8th century BC.
The Greeks followed the northern Mediterranean route. Their mainland colonies were situated further north (around 700 BC).
When Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered the principal Phoenician city, Tyre, in 573 BC, Phoenician trade declined. The Greeks then founded new colonies farther south than before and broadened contacts with the inland towns. However, their defeat at the Battle of Alalia (535 BC) against the Carthaginians forced them to retreat to their original positions in the northeast Iberian region and rely on land routes through France.
Carthaginian Expansion and Conflict
After the Battle of Alalia, Mediterranean trade passed primarily to the Carthaginians. From the late 6th century BC to the 4th century BC, Carthaginian power remained largely unchallenged in the western Mediterranean.
The Carthaginian defeat in the First Punic War (3rd century BC) led them to change their policy towards the Iberian Peninsula. Settlements that began as trading posts evolved into an attempt at total domination to exploit resources and recruit massive mercenary armies. This was the Barcid project, initiated by Hamilcar Barca.
This Carthaginian military expansion caused friction with the Romans. The capture of Saguntum by the Carthaginians in 219 BC led to the Second Punic War. The Roman victory ultimately forced the Carthaginians to abandon the Iberian Peninsula.