The History of the Iberian Peninsula
Hominization Process
The hominization process is an evolutionary process from a particular animal species to humans. The oldest remains of the Homo genus were found in eastern Africa, contemporaneous with other hominids: the Australopithecus, whose remains are older than 4 billion years. It is not clear whether the genus Homo robustus is independent of the Australopithecus or a line. The remains of Homo habilis have an antiquity of 2 million years. They made tools, which consisted of small sharp edges. They already walked in a bipedal position, thus freeing the hands to make tools. Later, Homo erectus appeared, left Africa, and spread to Asia and Europe. The expansion was believed to be due to volcanoes in Ukraine and the inability to cross the Strait of Gibraltar due to a lack of navigation skills. In this period, there were four glaciations that were so cold that they forced Homo erectus to take refuge in southern Europe. In Spain, remains of hominids have been found with an antiquity of 800,000 years in Atapuerca, Burgos, which is 15 kilometers away from the Gran Dolina. Other remains were found in the Sima de los Huesos (with 300,000 years). The oldest remains have been called Homo ancestor. Homo Neanderthal appears later, as their first remains were located in the Neander Valley. In Spain, remains are found in Gibraltar, Cariguela, and Banyoles.
Pre-Roman Peoples (Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians)
These are called pre-Roman peoples encountered by the Romans when they arrived on the Iberian Peninsula, and from which we have news for their historicity. We can distinguish two main groups: the Iberians, who lived in the Levant area, who came from the ancient peoples who spoke a non-Indo-European language. The center, north, and east were inhabited by people of Celtic origin, mostly Indo-European, who brought iron. The Greeks called the Iberian peninsula after the river Iberus. The Romans gave the peninsula the name of Hispania, which comes from the Semitic word i-seph-im, which means “land of rabbits.” Among the Iberian peoples are: The Turdetani (Andalusia), where the kingdom of Tartessos was famous for its rich agriculture, livestock, and mining, of which we hear in the Bible and Greek writings; the Bastetani (Baza), the Mastieni (Cartagena), the Elche (Elche), the Ilergetes (Lleida), and the Iacetani (Jacetania). The main wealth of these peoples was agriculture, and they were the most civilized due to contact with the settlements and cities ruled by a kind of senate. The peoples of the center of the peninsula were mostly Celtic and lived in fortified places called castros. Their wealth was livestock, and they were ruled by kings. They had peculiar habits such as hospitality, in which several soldiers were devoted to their leader, following him to death. Banditry and plunder were common, especially among the peoples of the south.
Historical Settlements (Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians)
The Phoenicians came to Spain from the city of Tyre in Lebanon. They were a trading people who established factories along the Mediterranean to exchange their products (glass, textiles, and oriental products) for raw materials like metals and skins. Before settling, they made several exploratory trips. In Spain, their first colony was in Cadiz in the 8th century BC. They also founded the factory of Malaka (Malaga) and Sexi (Almuñécar). The Greeks who came to Spain came from the colony of Massalia (Marseille). They founded colonies such as Roses and Empúries, and their intention was to obtain minerals from the interior of the peninsula. They introduced the use of currency and the olive tree. When the city of Tyre was conquered by the Assyrians, a Phoenician colony (Carthage) located near Tunis took charge of the Phoenician settlements, extending its dominance by founding the city of Cartago Nova (Cartagena). The Carthaginians, in their expansion through the Mediterranean, collided with the Romans, starting the Punic Wars. In the first Punic War, the Carthaginians lost Sicily. Carthage ceded it to enlarge their domains and strengthen their army with mercenaries (from Hispania) to obtain money. For this reason, their general, Hamilcar Barca, came to Spain, dying on the peninsula in the fighting near Elche. His son-in-law, Hasdrubal, succeeded him, who moved the capital to Carthago Nova. Finally, they decided to carry out the project of Hamilcar’s son, Hannibal, to attack Rome from the rear. For this, he formed an army in Africa, where they had elephants and mercenaries. Hannibal took the city of Sagunto (Valencia), which would trigger the war. With his army, Hannibal crossed the Ebro, the Pyrenees, the Rhone, and the Alps, and defeated the Romans in four famous battles, but decided not to attack Rome. The Romans then decided to send an army to Empúries (218 BC) to prevent Hannibal from receiving reinforcements. Hannibal left for Italy and would later be defeated. And before falling prisoner to the Romans, he decided to poison himself.
Conquest and Romanization: Cultural Heritage, Roman Culture in Hispanic Culture
The Romans first sent an army led by the Scipio brothers. When these died, they were replaced by Publius Cornelius Scipio, who began the first phase of the conquest of the peninsula by Rome. In it, he took Carthago Nova and the south of the peninsula to Cadiz. At first, the Romans did not intend to make further conquests, but the looting acts of the inland tribes of the plateau led them to extend their conquests. The Roman conquest of the peninsula lasted 200 years and can be divided into the following main stages: 1st was the conquest of the southern zone. After the death of the Scipio brothers, who arrived in Empúries in 218 BC as the first Roman army, Julius Cornelius Scipio succeeded to the command. 2nd ranged from the west and the peninsular plateau, highlighting the Lusitanian Wars with Viriathus and the Celtiberian Wars with the siege of Numantia. Viriathus, a Lusitanian leader, fought the Romans using guerrilla tactics, defeating the Romans in numerous encounters, until he was murdered by three of his officers, who sold him to Rome. Numantia, the capital of the Celtiberians, resisted the Romans for months, until Rome sent the victor of Hannibal, Scipio Aemilianus. 3rd consisted of the conquest of the northern peoples, characterized by their savagery. Augustus came in person to carry out the conquest of Hispania, finishing the conquest in 26 BC.