The Iberians were an ancient, Pre-Indo-European people who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in prehistoric and historic times. There are two theories concerning their origins:

• One that states that they were part of the original inhabitants of Western Europe and the creators/heirs of the great megalithic culture in all this area, a theory supported by genetic evidence. The Iberians would then be the same population subdued by the Celts in the first millennium BC in Ireland, Britain and France, and belong to the pre-Indo-European populations of Europe like the Arcadians in Greece, Picts in Scotland or Etruscans in Italy. 1 2 3

• An alternative theory suggests that they arrived in Spain sometime in the third millennium BC, although their arrival has been dated as early as 4000 BC. Most scholars adhering to this theory believe the Iberians came from a region farther east in the Mediterranean, although some have suggested that they originated in North Africa. The Iberians would have then first settled along the eastern coast of Spain, and possibly spread throughout the rest of the Iberian Peninsula later on. However, no archeological evidence supports the theory of the arrivals to the peninsula in the cited periods, nor does it show significant changes in the cultures of the indigenous populations which would indicate such foreign influence.

The Iberians lived in isolated communities based on a tribal organisation. They also had a knowledge of metalworking, including bronze, and agricultural techniques. In later years, the Iberians evolved into a more complex civilization with urbanized communities and social stratification. They traded metals with the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians.

In modern times, an Iberian is also a native of the Iberian Peninsula.

Historical references

---

Classical references

Greek colonists made the first historical reference to the Iberians in the 6th century B.C. They also dubbed as Iberians another people, currently known as Caucasian Iberians. It is not known whether they had any connection or if it was just a coincidence of names. The Iberians most likely made contact with other cultures long before this, however. The Phoenicians established their first colony on the Iberian Peninsula in 1,100 B.C. and probably made contact with Iberians then or shortly thereafter.

Iberian writing

It was assumed that the Iberians learned writing from the Phoenicians, developed a system for recording their own language, and later, they incorporated elements of the Greek alphabet into their writing system.But, not for the epigraphist, Carlos A. B. Castelo^*, that Unveiled the Mystery of the Writing in the Herouns (Stellas) of the south west of the Iberian Peninsula.

See main article, Iberian scripts

External influences

---

The Celts arrived in Spain in two waves in the early first millennium B.C. The Celtic culture dominated the Northern and Western Spain while the Iberians held the South. In the center, Celtic and Iberian culture mixed to produce the Celtiberians. This group, which fused both cultures, spread to the Eastern coast of Spain.

The Iberians and the Celtiberians 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 who shared their cultural knowledge. The Iberians may have adopted some of the Greeks' artistic skill. Statues such as the Lady of Baza (right) and the Lady of Elx are thought to have been made by Iberians relatively well studied in art.

The Iberians and Celtiberians were placed under Carthaginian rule for a short time between the Second and Third Punic Wars. Both groups supplied troops to Hannibal's army. The Romans subsequently conquered the Iberian Peninsula and slowly repressed the local culture and language, but it was only until the reign of Emperor Augustus after the fall of the Roman Republic that the entire peninsula was conquered.

External links

---

• Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)

Ancient peoples | Ancient Roman enemies and allies | Ethnic groups in Europe | History of Spain | History of Catalonia

Cultura ibèrica | Iberer | Íbero | Ibères | איברים | イベリア人 | Iberiërs | Iberere | Iberowie | Iberos | Иберы | Iberi | Iberci | Iberit | Iberer | 伊比利亚人