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The Iberians were an ancient, Pre-Indo-European people who inhabited the east and southeast of the Iberian Peninsula in prehistoric and historic times. There are two theories concerning their origins:
One theory suggests that they arrived in Spain sometime in the third millennium BC, although their arrival has been dated as early as 4000 BC. Most scholars adhering to this theory believe from archaeological evidence that the Iberians came from a region farther east in the Mediterranean, although some have suggested that they may have originated in North Africa. The Iberians would have then first settled along the eastern coast of Spain, and possibly spread throughout the rest of the Iberian Peninsula later on.*
The Iberians lived in isolated communities based on a tribal organisation. They also had a knowledge of metalworking, including bronze, and agricultural techniques. In later years, the Iberians evolved into a more complex civilization with urbanized communities and social stratification. They traded metals with the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians.
In modern times, an Iberian is also a native of the Iberian Peninsula.
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Iberian writing
It was assumed that the Iberians learned writing from the Phoenicians, developed a system for recording their own language, and later, they incorporated elements of the Greek alphabet into their writing system. But, not for the epigraphist, Carlos A. B. Castelo*, that Unveiled the Mystery of the Writing in the Herouns (Stellas) of the south west of the Iberian Peninsula.
See main article, Iberian scripts
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External influences
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The Celts arrived in the Iberian Peninsula in two waves in the early first millennium B.C. The Celtic culture dominated the Northern and Western Peninsula while the Iberians held the South. In the center, Celtic and Iberian culture mixed to produce the Celtiberians. This group, which fused both cultures, spread to the Eastern coast of Spain.
The Iberians and the Celtiberians traded extensively with other Mediterranean cultures. Iberian pottery has been found in France, Italy, and North Africa. The Iberians also had extensive contact with Greek colonists who shared their cultural knowledge. The Iberians may have adopted some of the Greeks' artistic skill. Statues such as the Lady of Baza and the Lady of Elx are thought to have been made by Iberians relatively well studied in art.
The Iberians and Celtiberians were placed under Carthaginian rule for a short time between the Second and Third Punic Wars. Both groups supplied troops to Hannibal's army. The Romans subsequently conquered the Iberian Peninsula and slowly repressed the local culture and language, but it was only until the reign of Emperor Augustus after the fall of the Roman Republic that the entire peninsula was conquered.
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See Also
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