Iberian writing and language

Abstract

The first part of this chapter is devoted to the description of Iberian literacy, from the time of the earliest documents (dated to the fifth century BCE) until the abandonment of the Iberian writing systems in the first century CE. The second part of the chapter offers a linguistic description of the still undeciphered Iberian language, which aims to show its best-known aspects (the onomastic system, some nominal suffixes) and also its most debated questions. Finally, comments on a selection of inscriptions are offered.