Talk:Prehistory

Spain on maps. A geographic synopsis

Compendium of the National Atlas of Spain. New content

Thematic structure > History > Historical overview > Prehistory

Ancient age →

Understanding the Iberian Peninsula in the Paleolithic

Illustration: Prehistory timeline. Spain. 16026

Map: Lower Paleolithic. Human and material remains. Spain. 13972 [PDF]. [Datos].

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.

Image: Gran Dolina, archaeological site of Atapuerca (Burgos)

The oldest human fossil remains found on the Iberian Peninsula were discovered in sima del Elefante, (in the archaeological site of Atapuerca, Burgos) in the form of a jawbone from an undetermined hominid dating from 1,200,000 years ago. If the fossil were of Homo habilis origin, it might have arrived on the Iberian Peninsula by way of the Strait of Gibraltar. Another hypothesis is that the fossil could belong to a new species called Homo antecessor, which may have possibly evolved from individuals of Homo erectus and settled on the Iberian Peninsula (at Gran Dolina, TD6, Atapuerca) after having migrated from Asia around 800,000 years ago. However, it is important to note that fossilised human remains of, as yet, undetermined origin have also been unearthed at Venta Micena in Orce (Granada) and in cueva Victoria, in Cartagena (Murcia).

Two subsequent species emerged and lived together in the Iberian Peninsula: Homo neanderthalensis, which marked the beginning of the Middle Paleolithic, and Homo heidelbergensis. Neanderthal remains found in El Sidrón, in Piloña (Asturias) witness their presence and are of particular significance. It should be mentioned that prior to this finding, around 28 individuals (a relatively large number) were discovered in sima de los Huesos at Atapuerca, making up more than 85% of the world´s recorded fossils of the primitive neardenthaliensis species. These remains were initially thought to be Devisovan, a species that predated neardenthaliensis. Since the massive presence of individuals at Atapuerca does not appear to be a coincidence, but rather a burial site, it is believed that there existed some degree of religious practice. Neanderthals formed small nomadic tribes and harnessed the use of fire, perhaps without mastery. They lived out in the open air, sometimes at the mouths of caves, and when not scavenging, led a hunter-gatherer lifestyle; and appear to have even engaged in cannibalism.

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.

Map: Middle Paleolithic. Human and material remains. Spain. 13973 [PDF]. [Datos].

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

Homo neanderthalensis had a cranium size of 1,450 cm3, slightly larger than modern man. Their bodies had a similar average stature of 1,70 cm, although stockier and perhaps with shorter limbs. Their presence coincided with the cold climate of the Würm glaciation, which precipitated the taking of refuge in caves. The most significant enclaves were found in cueva de las Grajas, in Archidona (Málaga), dating from roughly 200,000 years ago and cueva de Nerja, where the Neanderthals subsequently created the earliest known cave paintings about 40,000 years ago as well as at the sima de las Palomas de Cabezo Gordo (Murcia) site.

The two most prominent settlements established on the Iberian Peninsula were at the already mentioned cueva del Sidrón in Piloña (Asturias) and at Calvero de la Higuera in Pinilla del Valle (Madrid). At the former site, remnants were unearthed of about 13 individuals (the best collection in Spain) who lived 43,000 years ago. At the latter site, in addition to an extensive assemblage of fauna fossils, which even included unknown species such as the so-called “whistling hare”, Neanderthal remains were uncovered in what is believed to be the oldest known burial site. The remains were of a young girl with red hair, which appears to be consistent with most of her congeners. There is also clear evidence of burial sites in cueva Morín in Villaescusa (Cantabria).

Despite the controversy surrounding the coexistence and interbreeding of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, recent studies of cueva de la Güelga in Cangas de Onís (Asturias) reveal clear evidence of such activity from roughly 40,000 years ago. There is no debate about whether the Neanderthals engaged in cannibalism as remnants at both Sidrón archeological site and cueva del Boquete de Zafarralla (Málaga) indicate. With regard to interbreeding, an exhaustive study of DNA from the remains recovered at cueva del Sidrón, suggests that their blood was compatible with that of Homo sapiens.

The Neanderthals manufactured tools using an innovative technology known as the Levallois technique. Since it came from the Mousterian tool culture, this period is referred to as the Mousterian era. At this time, Neanderthals were no longer just using stone cores, but were intentionally engineering them with retouches and grooves to obtain flakes of different shapes for scrapers, cleavers, denticulate saws and spear points, which they attached to a shaft to be used for specific tasks. This expertise in tool making was an adaptation to the necessities of survival. Neanderthals continued to lead a predatory way of life as hunter-gatherers, but the harsh climatic conditions of the glacial environment compelled them to craft better clothing and look for more effective ways to stockpile food. It is generally agreed that the Neanderthals’ two greatest achievements were mastery of the art of fire making and the use of spoken language, albeit a less complex form than that of modern humans.

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.

Map: Upper Paleolithic. Human and material remains. Spain. 13974 [PDF]. [Datos].

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.

Homo sapiens are a species that originated in Africa. The earliest human fossils found on the Iberian Peninsula date from roughly 35,000 years ago and were unearthed from settlements sited along rivers. For some time, Homo sapiens coexisted with Neanderthals, eventually replacing them as their populations declined. The fact that this occurred despite the Neanderthal´s larger brain capacity has elicited explanations that are the subject of much speculation. It is known that Homo sapiens were able to survive the glacial periods that led many species on the European continent to extinction. A diverse diet consisting of game, collected fruit, small fish such as salmon and trout, and molluscs may have contributed to their survival.

Homo sapiens are a modern and very refined hominid whose tools reveal a new stage in evolution. Referred to as microliths and multilayered tools, they were smaller in size and similar to knives. They also made use of new materials such as wood, bone, antler, ivory and shells. In addition to cave paintings, decorative objects such as necklaces also appeared.

The early sapiens were clearly creative beings. They made music: flutes were found at La Güelga in Cangas del Onís (Asturias) and El Castillo in Puente Viesgo (Cantabria), and built very advanced contraptions like grinders to pulverize vegetables and obtain grains. They created organised social hierarchies, as suggested by the use of power connoting accessories like staffs. And they were fond of art as shown by such unique sculptures as the Venus figurines. They engineered new tools such as harpoons and short spears, which indicate a gradual diversification of hunting and fishing methods and expanded the array of animals they hunted for food. Such tools may also have been developed in response to violent encounters among competing factions.

Though more organised and numerous than their ancestors at this point, they were still nomads, who periodically lived in caves. Vestiges of huts were found near the coasts and at the mouths of rivers where they dwelt. Burial sites bearing funerary objects were now ubiquitous, suggesting possession of the capacity to think symbolically and a belief in an afterlife. Corpses sprinkled with ochre powder have been found, and sometimes accompanied by traces of flower pollen, a combination which may have been a sign of family or emotional bonds. The existence of sea shells in excavation sites in the Manzanares river basin suggests they travelled long distances and traded objects.

↑ Top

Artistic expression in the Upper Paleolithic Map: Paleolithic art. Spain. 14802 [PDF]. [Datos]. 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), Altamira (a claviform symbol), and cueva de Nerja with seal paintings (from possibly 42,000 years ago). Nevertheless, the earliest substantiated evidence of sapiens artistic expression, known as the Franco-Cantabrian style, is from the great Nordpeninsular and Nordpyrenean complexes. Works were also found in other areas such as Pileta, Maltravieso and Siega Verde. Animal figures such as bison, horses and fallow deer, and rarely humans, were the protagonists of these paintings. The images, made with continuous lines and usually pigmented with ochre or black from iron oxide or manganese, were created in the backs of caves, perhaps to create a magical effect. They used the irregularities in the stone to give volume to and enhance the naturalism of the images. Very few portable art exist from this prehistoric time such pendants (made from stone, bone, shells, or teeth), weapons (such as harpoons and spears), or objects connoting power (canes from Caballón and Castillo), although the 6,000 engravings on the limestone caves of Cova del Parpalló make up the largest collection of art in Europe from this era.

Co-authorship of the text in Spanish: María Sánchez Agustí, José Antonio Álvarez Castrillón, Mercedes de la Calle Carracedo, Daniel Galván Desvaux, Joaquín García Andrés, Isidoro González Gallego, Montserrat León Guerrero, Esther López Torres, Carlos Lozano Ruiz, Ignacio Martín Jiménez, Rosendo Martínez Rodríguez, Rafael de Miguel González. See the list of members engaged

↑ Top

The Neolithic slowly unfolds

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.

Map: The Neolithic. Spain. 16470 [PDF]. [Datos].

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.

Evidence in three different regions has led to the identification of what has come to define the Neolithic period: a sedentary lifestyle, albeit initially tentative and seasonally dependant. From the Pyrenees (Mas d´Azil site in France) and extending to the entire septentrion, the Azilian cultures predominated, particularly the Asturian culture. This civilisation can be characterised by their tools, such as the "Asturian pick", and shell fishing lifestyle, as evidenced by an accumulation of seashells, named "concheros". On the East coast and stretching inland to the Ebro Valley, farming communities appeared along with microlayered and geometric tools. And on the Atlantic coast and reaching to the Algarve, there is evidence of wetland mollusc collecting and man-made huts, suggesting a flourishing coastal maritime lifestyle.

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.

According to diffusion theories, these lifestyle changes were brought to the Iberian Peninsula from the Eastern Mediterranean. However, to adherents of autochthonous theories, the changes occurred naturally in response to the evolution of the Mesolithic on the Iberian Peninsula. One theory asserts that there were four regions along the Peninsula: Northeast Area, Levantine Area, Southern Area and South Atlantic Area, as can be seen on The Neolithic map. Another theory suggests it had logically spread throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula. History tells us that even when a theory becomes difficult to dispute, other theories cannot be ruled out.

• 

  Map: The Megalithic phenomenon. Spain. 13979 [PDF]. [Datos].
• 

  Map: Recent Chalcolithic. Regional varieties of the bell-shaped culture. Spain. 14005 [PDF]. [Datos].
• 

  Image: Ancient Iberian Bronze coin. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona xxx [PDF]. [Datos].

↑ Top

Artistic expression in the Upper Paleolithic Map: Levantine and schematic rock art. Spain. 14803 [PDF]. [Datos]. 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 Alpera sites as well as in cueva de la Araña. Like the art in the Franco-Cantabrian region, these images were found on parietal walls throughout the Peninsula, frequently comingled with paintings and engravings from later periods. They were concentrated in three large areas: the Galician-Portuguese region, the south, and most commonly, along the East coast, so prevalent in this area that it is often referred to as “Levantine Art”. Characterised by their labyrinth-shaped designs, the petroglyphs in the north and northweast are also worth mentioning, particularly those at Mogor in Marín and the anthropomorphic Ídolo de Peña Tú in Asturias. Engravings and paintings of these types represent a way of communicating that was perhaps a precursor to the first pictograms.

The beginning of the use of copper In the beginning of the Third Millennium BC, the use of copper, a new raw material, was becoming widespread throughout Europe. It was relatively abundant on the Peninsula and could be extracted from the ground. This sparked the beginning of the Chalcolithic or Copper Age, the first of the traditionally recognised Metal Ages. Awls, hooks, flat axes, knives, daggers, halberds, personalised adornments made from copper appeared. Bone and stone were gradually replaced by copper, which led to new manufacturing techniques as well as new ways of living. Fortified settlements were now being constructed high up on plateaus. The most notable examples of this were the culture of Los Millares and subsequently, the Argar (Almeria) and Zambujal in Torres Vedras (Portugal), which were the most magnificent architectural settlements on the Chalcolithic Iberian Peninsula. However, most communities were still typically found in the flatlands (particularly on river terraces and in valleys), which were more suitable for farming or raising livestock. Excavations at these sites have unearthed grain stores, landfills, store rooms, ditches and pits at these sites dating from this same time period. These societies also left behind an extensive fields of ring-diches which served as storage pits, particularly at les Jovades en Concentaina site, in Alicante and at the Ventorro site in Madrid. Notable exceptions to the settlements on the plains were those in caves or rock shelter such as the cova des Moro in Manacor (Mallorca) or cova des Fum in Formentera or Estremera in Madrid. Collective burying of their dead and the construction of megalithic burial chambers typical of the Late Neolithic continued to be common in the southeast, southwest, Northern Plateau and northwest of the Peninsula. These customs endured until the introduction of bell-shaped ceramic pots, which then allowed them to bury just a single individual. Despite regional variations in dating and definitively describing the period known as the Copper Age, it can be roughly classified into two periods: the Early Chalcolithic, dating from the first half of the Third Millennium (starting in 2250 BC) and the Late Chalcolithic, occurring from 2250 BC to 1900 BC. In the latter period, new ceramic pots began to appear in communities throughout Europe, allowing for more efficient preservation, storage, and transportation of goods. They were made by hand, generally with red clay, in an inverted bell shape, and then elaborately decorated with horizontal bands containing geometric or shell-shaped patterns, impressed or cut with combs or cords, and sometimes glazed. On the Peninsula, this pottery was initially decorated with international designs, referred to as Maritime, Corded or Mixed (2200-2150 BC), but later, a diverse array of regional designs appeared.

Co-authorship of the text in Spanish: María Sánchez Agustí, José Antonio Álvarez Castrillón, Mercedes de la Calle Carracedo, Daniel Galván Desvaux, Joaquín García Andrés, Isidoro González Gallego, Montserrat León Guerrero, Esther López Torres, Carlos Lozano Ruiz, Ignacio Martín Jiménez, Rosendo Martínez Rodríguez, Rafael de Miguel González. See the list of members engaged

↑ Top

Experimentation with metallurgy: the Bronze Age

Image:The Bull from Costix. Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid xxx

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).

Trade increased during the Early Bronze Age and there are strong indications that society was becoming increasingly socially stratified. This was evidenced by the discovery of burial sites for single individuals (mainly in burial pits and megalithic cists) as well as by differences in the quality and quantity of funerary objects placed in these sites. The Argar culture, which succeeded the bell-shaped ceramic, and produced a wide range of ceramic objects, was no longer the only flourishing culture on the Peninsula, according to research carried out in the last 50 years. The Bronze Age map shows the emergence of a diversity of cultures chronologically beginning with the Protocogota settlements on the Nothern Plateau around 2000 BC.

The late Bronze Age began around the 11th 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 11th century BC, as well as from the Talayotic culture on the Balearic Islands at the end of the Naviform period.

During this period emerge control walkway in livestock routes, water points, mountain passes or river fords as the Tagus River Trail. Metallurgical production sites were built to the north of the Tagus River in Portugal and along the Tinto-Odiel estuary, home to the Tartessian Civilisation during the 10th and 11th centuries BC. By the 8th century BC The Atlantic metallurgy was predominant on the entire Iberian Peninsula, especially at settlements in fertile and grassy areas along the river plains. Such settlements were frequently left open and unprotected, but at other times, built inside walled enclosures. Phoenician merchants began to appear on the coasts around this precolonial period, and later, towards the end of the 7th century BC, the Greeks.

Map: The Bronze Age. Spain. 13976 [PDF]. [Datos].

EARLY BRONZE AGE SITES LATE BRONZE AGE SITES BRONZE AGE OF LA MANCHA 46 Domingo I URNFIELDS 125 Cañada del Palmar 165 El Gurugú 1 La Peñuela 47 Murviedro 87 Agullana 126 Totana 166 Los Rompizales 2 La Morrota de los Cotos 48 La Bastida 88 Molá 127 Diezma 167 Teso del Cuerno 3 Recuenco 49 Laderas del Castillo 89 Can Missert 128 Baza 168 Carrelasvegas 4 Cabeza de Santa María SOUTHWEST BRONZE 90 Pontós 129 Arroyo Molinos 169 El Pelambre 5 Los Palacios 50 Ferradeira 91 Els Vilars 130 Cerro Alcalá 170 La Huelga 6 Santa Mª del Retamar 51 Punta Atalaia 92 Roquizal del Rullo 131 Guadix 171 La Muela de Galve 7 Cerro del Bu 52 Huelva 93 Cabezo Sellado 132 Campotéjar TALAYOTIC 8 Cerro de La Encantada VALENCIAN BRONZE 94 Cabezo de Monleón 133 Caramoro II 172 Son Catlar 9 Cerro del Cuchillo 53 Ereta del Pedregal 95 Los Castellets II 134 Herrerías 173 Torralba d'en Salort 10 Las Saladillas 54 La Mola de Agrés 96 Punta Farisa 135 El Macalón 174 Torrellafuda 11 El Acequión 55 La Loma de Betxí 97 Genó 136 Cerro de la Mora 175 Torretrencada 12 El Quintanar 56 Terlinques ATLANTIC BRONZE 137 Gatas 176 Ses Païsses 13 Cerro del Obispo 57 San Antón de Orihuela 98 Rianxo 138 El Peñón de la Reina 177 Capocorb Vell 14 Cueva del Fraile 58 Tabayá 99 Caldas de Reis 139 Cobatillas la Vieja CANTABRIAN AREA 15 El Azuer 59 Mas de Menente 100 Baiöess 140 El Castellar 178 Los Husos PROTOCOGOTAS 60 Mas del Corral 101 Roça do Casal do Meio 141 Parazuelos 179 Axtroki 16 Los Tolmos 61 Cabezo Redondo 102 Valcorchero 142 Cova d'en Pardo 180 La Hoya 17 Arenero de los Vascos 62 Peña Negra 103 Cueva de Boquique 143 Cueva del Alto 181 Alto de la Cruz 18 Parpantique 63 Los Saladares 104 Berzocana 144 Cueva de las Delicias 182 Puy Águila 19 Los Torojones NORTHWEST BRONZE 105 Sagrajas 145 Cueva de los Hermanillos I 183 Santimamiñe 20 Loma del Lomo 64 Agro de Nogueira 106 Bodonal de la Sierra 146 Llano de los Ceperos 184 Lumentxa 21 Santioste 65 Fixón-Costa da Seixeira 107 Torrejón el Rubio 147 Collado y Pinar de Santa Ana 185 Los Goros 22 El Tomillar 66 Sola 108 Valencia de Alcántara 148 Domingo I 186 Mina Castillejos 23 Castillo de Cardeñosa 67 Bouça da Cova da Moura 109 Brozas 149 Qurénima 187 Los Oscos 24 Necrópolis de Villalmanzo 68 Cimalha 110 Zarza de Montánchez 150 Caldero de Mojácar 188 Larón 25 Caserío de Perales 69 Erosa 111 Solana de Cabañas 151 Barranco Hondo 189 Caldueño 26 El Ventorro 70 Fraga dos Corvos 112 Alburquerque 152 Cerro de los Infantes 190 Santullano 27 El Tejar del Sastre 71 Caldas de Reis 113 Ría de Huelva 153 Les Moreres 191 El Juyo 28 Las Pozas 72 Gandón 114 Cueva de la Cancela COGOTAS SOUTHWEST BRONZE 29 Fábrica de Ladrillos 73 Mina del Milagro SOUTHEASTLEVANT BRONZE 154 Cogotas 192 Cerro Salomón 30 Cueva de Pedro Fernández 74 Mina del Aramo 115 El Picacho 155 El Negralejo 193 Tejada la Vieja 31 Castro de La Plaza 75 A Devesa de Abaixo 116 Cerro de la Encina 156 Fábrica de Ladrillos 194 Niebla 32 El Castillo EBRO VALLEY BRONZE 117 Cerro del Real 157 Caserío de Perales 195 Huelva 33 El Gurugú 76 Moncín 118 Peña Negra 158 Ecce Homo 196 San Bartolomé 34 Pico Aguilera 77 Cerro del Castillo de Frías 119 Los Saladares 159 La Muela 197 Setefilla ARGAR CULTURE 78 Monte Aguilar 120 Villena 160 San Román de Hornija 198 Carmona 35 El Argar CANTABRO-PYRENEAN AND CATALAN AREA 121 Murviedro 161 Huerta de Arriba 199 Montemolín 36 Fuente Álamo 79 Osona 122 La Gorriquía 162 El Cerro 200 El Berrueco 37 El Oficio 80 Porta Lloret 123 Campos 163 Tres Chopos-Abarre 201 Llanete de los Moros 38 Peñalosa 81 Bauma del Serrat del Pont 124 Las Alparatas 164 Carricastro 202 Colina de los Quemados 39 Gatas 82 Cueva de Santimamiñe 40 El Picacho 83 Los Husos 41 Las Peñicas de Santomera BALEARIC BRONZE 42 El Puntarrón Chico 84 Es Figueral de Son Real 43 Las Anchuras 85 Els Tudons 44 Castellón Alto 86 Son Mercer de Baix 45 Cuesta del Negro

Co-authorship of the text in Spanish: María Sánchez Agustí, José Antonio Álvarez Castrillón, Mercedes de la Calle Carracedo, Daniel Galván Desvaux, Joaquín García Andrés, Isidoro González Gallego, Montserrat León Guerrero, Esther López Torres, Carlos Lozano Ruiz, Ignacio Martín Jiménez, Rosendo Martínez Rodríguez, Rafael de Miguel González. See the list of members engaged

↑ Top

A prelude to societal and territorial reorganisation: the Iron Age

Map: Tartessian culture. Iberian Peninsula, south zone. 16028 [PDF]. [Datos].

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.

Image:Belt from Aliseda Hoard. Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid xxx

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 8th century BC by such predominant protohistoric cultures as 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.

This long epoch known as the Iron Age is conventionally divided into two stages: the Early Iron Age (750 BC - 500 BC) and the Late Iron Age (500 BC - 200 BC, as illustrated in the maps of the same tittle.

The Early Iron Age is characterised by two large civilisations occupying two distinct Iberian geographical regions: one in the south and the other, in the east of the Peninsula. The accepted notion that these civilisations were influenced by Mediterranean cultures is supported by the discovery of Protocolonial remnants on the east coast. There is also evidence of Phoenician colonisations in the Southern Mediterranean and Atlantic (Gadir) regions and of the first Greek colonies, including those established by groups under Greek influence. Moreover, there were the great Tartessian settlements in Andalusia, particularly along the Tinto, Odiel and Lower Guadalquivir rivers.

In the north and middle of the Peninsula, the communities remained isolated from Mediterranean influences and retained their indigenous identity and traditions (including, in some cases, the use of bronze). Such behaviour was exhibited by the Late Burial Urnfields Culture (Catalonia and the Ebro Valley), Sorian hillforts culture, the Atlantic Cultures (Portugal, Galicia, and the Cantabrian Cornice), in addition to the Soto de Medinilla culture in the Douro river basin.

Map: Early Iron Age. Spain. 13977 [PDF]. [Datos].

EARLY IRON AGE SITES PHOENICIAN SETTLEMENTS 44 Trebujena SORIAN HILLFORTS CULTURE 129 Cabezo de Monleón 174 Santa María del Río 222 Tudela de Duero 1 Gadir 45 Mesas de Asta 86 El Puntal 130 Almohaja de Bezas 175 Saldaña 223 Simancas 2 Tavira 46 Churriana 87 Cerro de la Calderuela 131 Palermo 176 Pedrosa de la Vega 224 Pollos 3 Cerro del Prado 47 Chipiona 88 Alto del Arenal 132 San Cristóbal 177 Carrión de los Condes 225 Valdestillas 4 Cerro del Villar 48 Ébora 89 Arévalo de la Sierra 133 Loma de los Brunos 179 Gusendos de los Oteros 226 Matapozuelos 5 Toscanos 49 Cabezo de La Esperanza 90 Cabrejas 134 Roquizal del Rullo 180 Valderas 227 Santiago del Arroyo 6 Malaka 50 San Pedro 91 Los Castillejos 135 Alto de la Cruz 181 Gordaliza de la Loma 228 Foncastín 7 Sexi 51 La Joya 92 El Castillo 136 El Convento 182 Mayorga de Campos 229 Medina del Campo 8 Abdera 52 Colina de los Quemados 93 El Castillejo 137 Morredón 183 Castrobol 230 Alcazarén 9 Abul 53 Lebrija 94 Zarranzano 138 La Cruz 184 Villavicencio de los Caballeros 231 El Campillo 10 Baria 54 Tharsis 95 Castillejo 139 Zaforas 185 Castroponce 232 Gomeznarro 11 La Fontela 55 Andújar 96 Valdeavellano de Tera 140 Partelapeña 186 Melgar de Arriba 233 Almenara de Adaja 12 Eivissa 56 Castellones 97 El Collado 141 La Coronilla 187 Melgar de Abajo 234 Coca 13 Las Chorreras PROTO-COLONIAL 98 Castilfrío de la Sierra 142 Santa Ana 188 Villacarralón 235 Cuéllar 14 Morro de Mezquitilla INFLUENCES 99 Castilviejo de Guijosa 143 Fila de la Muela 189 Cisneros 236 Ayllón CULTURES UNDER 57 Vinaragell II 100 La Coronilla 144 Besodia 190 Villanueva de la Condesa 237 Langa de Duero PHOENICIAN INFLUENCE 58 Los Saladares 101 Cerro de las Nieves 145 Montefiu 191 Paredes de Nava 238 Pinilla Trasmonte 15 Alpiarça 59 Burriana SOUTHERN PLATEAU GROUPS 146 Roques de Sant Formatge 192 Herrín de Campos 239 Solarana 16 Torres Vedras 60 Santa Catalina del Monte 102 El Navazo 147 Puntual 193 Villacid de Campos 240 Lara de los Infantes 17 Alcacer do Sal 61 El Castellar 103 Madrigueras 148 Azaila 194 Cuenca de Campos 241 Palenzuela 18 Sines 62 El Murtal 104 Soto del Hinojar 149 Pajaroncillo 195 Moral de la Reina 242 Santa María del Campo 19 Ourique 63 San Cristóbal 105 Puente Largo de Jarama 150 Pic dels Corbs 196 Tamariz de Campos 243 Castrojeriz 20 Torre de Doña Blanca 64 Tossal-Redó 106 Monte O Facho 151 Cavanes 197 Castromocho 244 Los Ausines 21 Huelva 65 Mas de Flandi ATLANTIC CULTURES 152 Salzadella 198 Aguilar de Campos 245 Ubierna 22 Medellín 66 Els Castellans 107 Castromao 153 Vinaragell 199 Villafrechós 246 Camarzana de Tera 23 Cancho Roano 67 Les Ombries 108 Cameixa 154 Gatas 200 Villanueva de San Mancio 247 Castrogonzalo 24 La Aliseda 68 Azaila 109 Borneiro 155 Henayo 201 Medina de Rioseco 248 Castropepe 25 Castro Marim GREEK SETTLEMENTS 110 Torroso 156 La Hoya 202 Tordehumos 249 Barcial del Barco 26 Galera 69 Emporiom 111 A Força 157 Castillo de Henayo 203 Villagarcía de Campos 250 Bretó 27 Monachil 70 Rhode 112 Taboexa 158 Alto de la Cruz 204 Torrelobatón 251 Arrabalde 28 Peña Negra CULTURES UNDER 113 Chao Samartín 159 Gastiburu 205 Mota del Marqués 252 Valdunquillo 29 Los Saladares GREEK INFLUENCE 114 As Croas 160 Intxur 206 El Soto de Medinilla 253 Fuentes de Ropel 30 Loma del Boliche 71 Alonis 115 Neixón Pequeno 161 Quintana de Fon 207 Castronuevo de Esgueva 254 Revellinos 31 Cañada del Palmar 72 Mainake 116 Penarrubia SOTO DE MEDINILLA 208 Renedo 255 Villafáfila 32 Les Moreres 73 Ullastret 117 Camoca CULTURES 209 Villabáñez 256 Villalpando TARTESSIAN AREA 74 Puig de Sant Andreu 118 Campa Torres 162 Castrillo de Polvazares 210 San Martín de Valvení 257 Bolaños de Campos 33 Cástulo 75 Bolbax 119 Nossa Senhora de Guia 163 Villazala del Páramo 211 Olmos de Esgueva 258 Villanueva de los Caballeros 34 Riotinto 76 Verdolay 120 Monte do Frade 164 Castrotierra 212 Valoria la Buena 259 Castromembibre 35 Niebla 77 Cabezo del Tío Pío 121 Moreirinha 165 Barrientos 213 Amusquillo 260 Carbajales de Alba 36 Setefilla 78 Castillico de las Peñas 122 Lois 166 Castro del Morión 214 Piñel de Abajo 261 Abezames 37 Valencina de la Concepción 79 El Cigarralejo 123 Os Castros 167 Regueras de Arriba 215 Pesquera de Duero 262 Pinilla de Toro 38 Carambolo 80 Cobatillas 124 Picu Castiellu de Moriyón 168 San Martín de Torres 216 Curiel 263 Molacillos 39 Carmona 81 Coimbra de Barranco Ancho 125 Agullana 169 Castrocalbón 217 Roa 264 Ricobayo 40 Acebuchal 82 Los Molinicos LATE BURIAL URNFIELDS 170 San Pedro de la Viña 218 Padilla de Duero 265 Madridanos 41 Utrera 83 Los Nietos 126 El Molà 171 San Juan de Torres 219 Santibáñez de Valcorba 266 Villalazán 42 Osuna 84 Coy 127 San Antonio 172 Valencia de Don Juan 220 Montemayor de Pililla 267 La Tuda 43 Estepa 85 El Pico 128 La Pedrera 173 Villafañe 221 Cogeces del Monte

Ancient age →

[ Download full theme in PDF]

You can download the complete publication Spain on maps. A geographic synopsis in Libros Digitales del ANE site.

es:Prehistoria