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By the Iron Age II (500 BC, many years before Romanisation), the use of iron was widespread throughout the Peninsula, greatly increasing the number and variety of available tools. At the same time, new social and economic structures arose on the Peninsula, built on foundations laid from the peoples of the previous era. These cultural and territorial changes were described by Greco-Latin writers, particularly by Pliny and Strabo. The process of acculturation initiated subsequently by Rome was influenced by these Iberian developments.
Historians and archaeologists have pointed out the difficulty of linking the data from material remains to information provided by historiographic or literary sources because the information is often confusing and contradictory. Nevertheless, the field of archaeology is making a concerted effort to identify the geographic distribution of Pre-Roman communities based on data obtained from research, as illustrated on the map ''[[:File:EnelaboraciónEnelaboracion.jpg|Late Iron Age. Pre-Roman peoples]]''.
The map shows the location of the major archaeological settlement sites identified on the Iberian Peninsula compared to the areas traditionally ascribed to the principle ethnic groups in archaeological literature. This map and its associated information, should be read and interpreted recognising that the borders of the areas occupied by these population groups are generally loosely defined since there were constant social and economic interactions between their respective populations. As a consequence of such interaction over the centuries, these areas were constantly expanding and contracting over the centuries, inevitably producing border uncertainty. The Lusitanian and Veton population groups are examples of this.
