Changes

[[File:Spain_Prehistory-timeline_2017_illustration_16026_eng.jpg|center|thumb|800px|Illustration: Prehistory timeline. Spain.]]<br>

The Lower Paleolithic covers a vast period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula. As illustrated in the figure, it spanned from 1,350,000 years ago to roughly 130,000 years BC, the period which is generally considered to mark the beginning of the Middle Paleolithic. The Lower Paleolithic coincides with the geological age of both the Lower (or possibly older) and Middle Pleistocene Epochs. The Lower Pleistocene had a warm climate similar to today´s Mediterranean environment in which the regular flow of water from rivers (greater in the Atlantic watershed than in the Mediterranean watershed) deposited sediment and produced fluvial terraces. The fauna typical of this time period was similar to that of the present-day African Savannah: large mammals such as elephants, panthers, saber-tooth tigers, hippopotamus, zebras, and hyenas. The Middle Pleistocene was marked by glaciations which transformed ecosystems and gave rise to mammals such as cave bears, rhinoceros, and mammoths.

The defining characteristic of these hominids placing them in the genus ''Homo'' is their ability to make tools. Initially, they made stone tools, typically of flint and quartzite, shaped and sharpened on only one surface (using stone tool technology). And later, tools were made by shaping both sides of the stone, forming bifacial preforms typical of Acheulean technology. The early tools, which were bulky and heavy and made in situ, were abandoned as soon as hunted animals were cut and skinned, whereas bifacial tools were typically kept for future use, as they were more versatile and difficult to produce.

The Middle Paleolithic, which began approximately 130,000 years BC, coincided with the widespread presence of ''Homo neanderthalensis''.

In the majority of settlements, where human remains have been observed, lithic remnants have also been uncovered; however, the reverse case is not necessarily true. For example, the multiple artefacts discovered at Atapuerca can be only attributed to the Neanderthals; however, actual (skeletal) fossil remains of this hominid group have not been found at this site. Such findings hinder the study of evolutionary changes.

The Upper Paleolithic, which coincided with the end of the Upper Pleistocene, saw the evolutionary rise of a new species called ''Homo sapiens'' starting in approximately 40,000 BC. The end of the Upper Pleistocene on the Iberian Peninsula took place around 12,000 to 10,000 BC, which was followed by a new epoch called the Neolithic, also known as the Holocene on the geological time scale.

|titulo= Artistic expression in the Upper Paleolithic

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There is much debate about whether to attribute the earliest development of artistic expression solely to ''Homo sapiens'' based on the fact that its emergence coincided with their existence, and there is also similar debate with respect to the Paleolithic. Since Neanderthals were also present at this time, they may have been responsible for some of these works, and previous works; possible examples include: El Castillo (a red disc and hand figures), Tito Bustillo (some remains), [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaG7dM-9tSA Altamira] (a claviform symbol), and cueva de Nerja with seal paintings (from possibly 42,000 years ago).

Scientists do not agree as to whether this was the beginning or the end of an epoch. As the Holocene began, the interglacial period that is believed to be taking place today was already under way. The ''sapiens'' were adapting quickly to a more temperate climate and vegetative landscape as well as to the availability of more desirable animals for hunting. Communities were becoming more specialised in exploiting a variety of available resources, leading to improvements in hunting, gathering, fishing and shellfishing. Some historians believe that the Paleolithic Period was coming to a close and refer to this time period as the Epi-Paleolithic. However, other historians consider this to be the beginning of a new era starting roughly 12,000 BC, describing it as the Mesolithic Period, or Middle Stone Age, which was then proceeded imperceptibly by the Neolithic.

A plethora of technologically advanced tools and contraptions such as harpoons, spears, sickles, saws, arrows, knives, and darts have been found, which they crafted in response to forces necessitating new ways of subsistence. Stones were finely burnished to be fashioned as useful tools and microliths embedded in polished wooden handles were made with an angular shape suitable for cutting, scraping, and penetrating their prey; samples of small painted rocks depicting this phenomenon have been discovered in some settlements.

The arrival of the Neolithic, a time period measured in milennia, signalled the transition from a hunter-gatherer to a progressively agrarian and ranching lifestyle with permanent dwellings. This monumental, evolutionary change began with formation of the largest rivers in Asia and the Nile in Africa caused by climate change during the Holocene. This extensive period marked such a significant transformation in human history that in order to characterise it appropriately, it is referred to as the "Neolithic Revolution". With this change, came a sedentary lifestyle, architecture, social hierarchies, religions, and technological innovations.

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|titulo= Artistic expression from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic

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It was not until 12,000-10,000 BC, that Homo sapiens realised their full artistic potential. Evidence of this resides on the East coast of the Iberian Peninsula where more modest, schematic and stylised paintings than those from the Palaeolithic were developed. As contours of discontinuous lines, the figures lack interior polychromy and are smaller in size. Human beings and animals on which they preyed were the centre piece of the art, often depicted in motion and in scenes that tell a story. These paintings were now displayed in rock shelter rather than caves, undoubtedly reflecting the change to a sedentary lifestyle. Well-preserved examples of such art can be found at the Cogull, Valltorta, and [https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=519305595439306&vanity=CMMediaes Alpera] sites as well as in cueva de la Araña.

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In the Second Millennium BC, population growth created a greater demand for raw materials and subsistence products, causing agricultural and livestock farming (and its by-products) to become more widespread. This still Neolithic society had already mastered metallurgical techniques and had discovered bronze, a strong alloy of copper and tin. Bronze arrived on the Peninsula through the Pyrenees in the Third Millennium BC and was used along with copper to make tools and objects, according to stratigraphic studies of the Bauma del Serrat del Pont site (Girona).

The late Bronze Age began around the 11^th century BC with three different cultural currents predominating: Central European, Atlantic, and Eastern Mediterranean. With an increase in cultural exchanges, these civilisations mixed with native cultures, eventually evolving into what are known as Pre-Roman cultures. Major changes took place and new traditions arose. In the Northwest, they began to cremate their dead and leave their ashes in urnfields, while in the middle of the Peninsula and in the northern and western regions, highly sophisticated bronze weapons and objects were commercially traded. And lastly, merchants and new cultural groups arose in the Mediterranean and southern regions of the Peninsula, foreshadowing the future colonisation of these areas. Meanwhile, advances in metallurgy led to the development of goldsmithing, as evidenced by the Treasure of Villena (Alicante). Livestock routes stretching inland were also built, as revealed at some excavation sites such as Peña Negra in Crevillent (Alicante). These external influences did not, however, impede indigenous development. Examples of this can be seen from the Cogotas culture, which extended to the Douro and Tagus river basins starting in the 11^th century BC, as well as from the Talayotic culture on the Balearic Islands at the end of the Naviform period.

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The dawning of the Iron Age on the Peninsula meant a new era in the Neolithic, but it did not lead to significant cultural changes for the people who settled on the Iberian Peninsula at that time.

The use of this new metal technology, which required furnaces capable of reaching extremely high temperatures, did not spread homogenously throughout the Peninsula. Iron-making first began on the coastline in the middle of the 8^th century BC by such predominant protohistoric cultures as [https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/tartessos-busca-reino-perdido_6233/3 the Tartessos] while inland civilisations continued to work with bronze and were slower to adopt this new technology. These diverse regional differences (evident at some archaeological sites) led to transformations in how these societies were organised throughout the territory, signalling that the Iberian people were entering into a new era (known as ancient history) and leaving Prehistory behind.

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The colonisations of the areas around Huelva and the Lower Guadalquivir facilitated the growth of the Tartessian culture (it has been spoken about the kingdom of the Tartessos and even about some of its kings) in the Early Iron Age or Iron Age I. This historical and cultural development featured profound changes in the region's indigenous societies. In the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age I, they transitioned to mining and exploiting the land in the Guadalquivir valley for agricultural purposes, making necessary frequent exchanges and other forms of social interactions. Growing cultural, social and economic influences from the Eastern Mediterranean were becoming evident in these communities. This phenomenon is both evidenced by and attributable to the importation of ceramics, objects made of precious metals, fabrics, oil, and wine.

Meanwhile, the centre of the Peninsula was much slower to adapt to the technological changes taking place, and as a consequence, its populations did not experience the same level of growth and prosperity as their counterparts in the south. The central territory eventually began to be populated by small fortified villages. An example of this is the Soto de Medinilla culture (which is named after the most thoroughly studied settlement in Valladolid) in the Douro Valley.

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.

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.

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