Luís Fraga's interpretation of the language areas in Iberia circa 200BC, with small corrections
The
Iberians were a set of peoples that
Greek and
Roman sources (among others,
Hecataeus of Miletus,
Avienus,
Herodot and
Strabo) identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the
Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC. These included: the Airenosi, Andosini,
Ausetani,
Bastetani,
Bastuli, Bergistani, Castellani,
Cessetani, Ceretani,
Contestani,
Edetani, Elisices, Iacetani,
Ilercavones,
Ilergetes,
Indigetes,
Lacetani,
Laietani,
Oretani, Sedetani, Sordones, Suessetani, and
Turdetani (notice that there are some doubts regarding the ethno-linguistic affiliation of some of these). The Roman and Greek sources often diverge about the precise location of each Iberian people and also about the list of Iberian peoples.
The Iberians were not a clearly defined
culture,
ethnic group or
political entity. The name is instead a blanket term for a number of peoples belonging to a pre-Roman,
Iron Age culture inhabiting the
Iberian peninsula who have been historically identified as "Iberian". Although these peoples shared certain common features, they were by no means homogeneous and they diverged widely in other respects.
History
The Iberians lived in isolated communities based on a
tribal organization. They also had a knowledge of
metalworking, including
bronze, and
agricultural techniques. In the centuries preceding Carthaginian and Roman conquest, Iberian settlements grew in
social complexity, exhibiting evidence of
social stratification and
urbanization. This process was probably aided by trading contacts with the
Phoenicians,
Greeks, and
Carthaginians. Among the most important goods traded by the Iberians were precious metals, particularly
tin and
copper.
The
Phoenicians established their first
colony on the Iberian Peninsula in
1100 B.C. (
Gadir,
Gades, modern
Cádiz) and probably made contact with Iberians then or shortly thereafter.
Greek colonists made the first historical reference to the Iberians in the
6th century B.C. The Greeks also dubbed as "Iberians" another people, currently known as
Caucasian Iberians. It is not known whether the two had any connection.
Origins
Paleohispanic languages according to inscriptions (except Aquitanian - according to
anthroponyms and theonyms used in
Latin inscriptions).
Iberian origins are not clear; however, there are two theories on the subject:
Celts crossed the
Pyrenees into Spain in two major migrations in the ninth and the seventh centuries B.C. See
Celtiberians. "
External influences
The Iberians 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. The Iberians may have adopted some of the
Greeks' artistic techniques.
Statues such as the
Lady of Baza and the
Lady of Elx are thought to have been made by Iberians relatively well acquainted with Greek
art.
Thucydides stated that one of the three original tribes of
Sicily, the
Sicani, were of Iberian origin, though "Iberian" at the time could have included what we think of as
Gaul.
The Iberians were placed under
Carthaginian rule for a short time between the
First and
Second Punic Wars. They supplied troops to
Hannibal's army. The
Romans subsequently conquered the Iberian Peninsula and slowly absorbed the local culture and language.
Iberian culture
Lead plaque from
Ullastret using the northeastern dual signary.
Lead plaque from La Bastida de les Alcuses (
Moixent) using the southeastern signary.
Lead plaque from la Serreta (
Alcoi) using the Greco-Iberian alphabet.
Iberian language
The Iberian language, like the rest of
paleohispanic languages, became
extinct by the 1st to 2nd centuries AD, after being gradually replaced by
Latin. Iberian seems to be a
language isolate. It is certainly not an
Indo-European language. Links with other languages have been claimed, but they have not been demonstrated. One such proposed link was with the
Basque language, but this theory is also disputed.
Iberian scripts
The Iberians use three different scripts to represent the
Iberian language.
- * Dual variant (4th century BC and 3rd century BC)
- * Non-dual variant (2nd century BC and 1st century BC)
Northeastern Iberian script and
southeastern Iberian script share a common distinctive typological characteristic, also present in other
paleohispanic scripts: they present signs with syllabic value for the
occlusives and signs with monofonematic value for the rest of
consonants and
vowels. From a
writing systems point of view they are neither
alphabets nor
syllabaries, they are mixed scripts that normally are identified as
semi-syllabaries. About this common origin, there is no agreement between researchers: for some this origin is only linked to the
Phoenician alphabet while for others the
Greek alphabet had participated too.
Art
The Iberians produced sculpture in stone and bronze, most of which was much influenced by the Greeks and Phoenicians. The styles of Iberian sculpture are divided geographically into Levantine, Central, Southern, and Western groups, of which the Levantine group displays the most Greek influence.
Gallery
See also
Modern peoples of Iberia:Pre-Roman cultures of Iberia:Archeological sites:Related to Iberian culture:
