The Iberian peninsula in pre-Roman times

Abstract

This chapter summarizes current knowledge of the human geography of the Iberian peninsula during the Iron Age. It compares and contrasts different sources (Greek and Latin texts, coins minted by indigenous peoples, and archaeological evidence) to recreate the palaeoethnological panorama of the region and reconstruct the historical processes that led to its formation, including the impact of the Phoenicians and Greeks. This analysis indicates the existence of a linguistically non-Indo-European area, mainly the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal regions between the Pyrenees and the mouth of the Guadiana, and an Indo-European one in the centre of the peninsula and along the greater part of the Atlantic coast. Ethnic groups of varying size and political importance are attested in both areas. Population growth and iron metallurgy played a crucial role in the formation of this human reality, together with the development of urbanization, which started in the Mediterranean coastal areas and progressively spread.