The Lady of Elx, made by Iberians. The enigmatic Lady of Elx ( Dama de Elche in Spanish, Dama d'Elx in Valencian) is a polychrome stone Bust that was discovered

Iberian scripts in the context of paleohispanic scripts

Luís Fraga's interpretation of the language areas in Iberia circa 200BC, with small corrections

The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others, Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo) identified with that name in the eastern and southern coasts of the Iberian peninsula at least from the 6th century BC. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Hecataeus of Miletus (c 550&ndashc 476 BC named after the Greek Goddess Hecate, was a Greek Philosopher of a wealthy Avienus was a Latin writer of the 4th century His full name Postumius Rufius Festus (qui et Avien(ius is mentioned on an inscription from Bulla Regia Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. These included: the Airenosi, Andosini, Ausetani, Bastetani, Bastuli, Bergistani, Castellani, Cessetani, Ceretani, Contestani, Edetani, Elisices, Iacetani, Ilercavones, Ilergetes, Indigetes, Lacetani, Laietani, Oretani, Sedetani, Sordones, Suessetani, and Turdetani (notice that there are some doubts regarding the ethno-linguistic affiliation of some of these). The Ausetani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Bastetani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Bastuli were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Cessetani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Contestani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Edetani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Ilercavones were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Ilergetes were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Indigetes (latin indigetes or indigetae or Indiketes) were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula The Laietani were an ancient Iberian (Pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) The Oretani were a pre- Roman Iberian or Celtic people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) in La Mancha, eastern The Turdetani were an ancient (pre- Roman) people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania) living in the valley of the Guadalquivir in what The Roman and Greek sources often diverge about the precise location of each Iberian people and also about the list of Iberian peoples.

The Iberians were not a clearly defined culture, ethnic group or political entity. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered The name is instead a blanket term for a number of peoples belonging to a pre-Roman, Iron Age culture inhabiting the Iberian peninsula who have been historically identified as "Iberian". This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Although these peoples shared certain common features, they were by no means homogeneous and they diverged widely in other respects.

History

The Iberians lived in isolated communities based on a tribal organization. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use They also had a knowledge of metalworking, including bronze, and agricultural techniques. Metalworking is craft and practice of working with Metals to create individual parts assemblies or large scale structures Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture In the centuries preceding Carthaginian and Roman conquest, Iberian settlements grew in social complexity, exhibiting evidence of social stratification and urbanization. Social complexity is the approach to social phenomena that tries to analyze a social system as a Complex system. In Sociology, social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of Social classes Castes and strata within a Society. Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing This process was probably aided by trading contacts with the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers Among the most important goods traded by the Iberians were precious metals, particularly tin and copper. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29

The Phoenicians established their first colony on the Iberian Peninsula in 1100 B.C. Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. (Gadir, Gades, modern Cádiz) and probably made contact with Iberians then or shortly thereafter. Cádiz ( Spanish:) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the province of the same name, a province which is one of eight

Greek colonists made the first historical reference to the Iberians in the 6th century B.C. The Greeks also dubbed as "Iberians" another people, currently known as Caucasian Iberians. Colonies in antiquity were City-states founded from a mother- City The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. This article is about the people of ancient Georgia For the Iberians of ancient Iberian Peninsula see Iberians. It is not known whether the two had any connection.

Origins

Neolithic expansion. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos

Paleohispanic languages according to inscriptions (except Aquitanian - according to anthroponyms and theonyms used in Latin inscriptions). A personal name is the Proper name identifying an individual Person. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

The origin of the Iberians is not certain, but there are two theories concerning such:

• One theory suggests that they arrived in Spain sometime during the Neolithic period, with their arrival being dated from as early as the fifth millennium BC to the third millennium BC (see Cardium culture). Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of Agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age. It represents a period of time in which Imperialism, or the desire to conquer grew to prominence Cardium Pottery, Printed-Cardium Pottery or Cardial Ware is a Neolithic decorative style that gets its name from the imprinting of the clay with the Most scholars adhering to this theory believe from archaeological, anthropological and genetic evidences that the Iberians came from a region farther east in the Mediterranean. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of Population genetics is the study of the Allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four evolutionary forces Natural selection, Genetic Others have suggested that they may have originated in North Africa. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Iberians would have initially settled along the eastern coast of Spain, and then possibly spread throughout the rest of the Iberian Peninsula later on. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

• An alternative theory 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 possibly supported by genetic studies. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is The Iberians would then be similar to the populations subdued by the Celts in the first millennium BC in Ireland, Britain and France. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[6][7]

Celts crossed the Pyrenees into Spain in two major migrations in the ninth and the seventh centuries B. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés C. The Celts settled for the most part north of the Rio Duero and the Rio Ebro, where they mixed with the Iberians to form groups called Celtiberians. The Douro or Duero ( Latin: Durius, Spanish: Duero, Portuguese: Douro, pron. The Ebro ( Ebre) is Spain 's most voluminous river Its source is in Fontibre ( Cantabria) "^[8][9][10]

External influences

The Iberians traded extensively with other Mediterranean cultures. Iberian pottery has been found in France, Italy, and North Africa. Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Iberians also had extensive contact with Greek colonists. Colonies in antiquity were City-states founded from a mother- City The Iberians may have adopted some of the Greeks' artistic techniques. The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Statues such as the Lady of Baza and the Lady of Elx are thought to have been made by Iberians relatively well acquainted with Greek art. A statue is a Sculpture in the round representing a person or persons an animal or an event normally full-length as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size The Lady of Baza ( la Dama de Baza) is a famous example of Iberian art a female figure of limestone with traces of painted detail in a stuccoed surface The enigmatic Lady of Elx ( Dama de Elche in Spanish, Dama d'Elx in Valencian) is a polychrome stone Bust that was discovered Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual One of the three original tribes of Sicily; the Sicanians are thought to have been of Iberian origin. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The Sicani ( Greek Sikanoi) or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization ^[11]

The Iberians were placed under Carthaginian rule for a short time between the Second and Third Punic Wars. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The Second Punic War (referred to as "The War Against Hannibal" by the Romans lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western The Third Punic War ( 149 BC to 146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage They supplied troops to Hannibal's army. Hannibal (Pronounced in Phoenician: Hanniba'al means " Ba'al is my grace " or " Ba'al has given me grace " 247 BC &ndash The Romans subsequently conquered the Iberian Peninsula and slowly repressed the local culture and language. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC

Iberian falcata. The falcata is a type of Sword typical of Pre- Roman Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal) similar

Iberian culture

Iberian knight of Moixent, in the Land of Valencia

Lead plaque from Ullastret using the northeastern dual signary. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Costera is a comarca in the province of Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Ullastret is a small historic village on the Bay of Emporda located 3 miles northeast of La Bisbal d'Empordà.

Lead plaque from La Bastida de les Alcuses (Moixent) using the southeastern signary. Mogente/Moixent ( Valencian: Moixent; Spanish: Mogente) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Costera

Lead plaque from la Serreta (Alcoi) using the Greco-Iberian alphabet. Alcoy (in Spanish) or Alcoi (in Valencian) is a city and municipality located in the province of Alicante, Spain.

Iberian language

Main article: Iberian language

The Iberian language, like the rest of paleohispanic languages, became extinct by the 1st to 2nd centuries AD, after being gradually replaced by Latin. The Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian The Paleohispanic languages were the languages used in the Iberian peninsula before Latin became the dominant language According to some definitions an extinct language is a Language which no longer has any speakers, whereas a dead language is a language which is no longer spoken Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Iberian seems to be a language isolate. A language isolate, in the absolute sense is a Natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or "genetic" relationship with other living languages that is It is certainly not an Indo-European language. Links with other languages have been claimed, but they have not been demonstrated. One such proposed link was with the Basque language, but this theory is also disputed. Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain

Iberian scripts

Main article: Iberian scripts

The Iberians use three different scripts to represent the Iberian language. The Iberian scripts are the Paleohispanic scripts that were used to represent the extinct Iberian language. The Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian

• Northeastern Iberian script
  • Dual variant (4th century BC and 3rd century BC)
  • Non-dual variant (2nd century BC and 1st century BC)
• Southeastern Iberian script
• Greco-Iberian alphabet

Northeastern Iberian script and southeastern Iberian script share a common distinctive typological characteristic, also present in other paleohispanic scripts: they present signs with syllabic value for the occlusives and signs with monofonematic value for the rest of consonants and vowels. The northeastern Iberian script is also known as Levantine Iberian or Iberian, because it is the Iberian script that was most frequently used and The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. The southeastern Iberian script, also known as Meridional Iberian, was one of the means of written expression of the Iberian language, which was written mainly The northeastern Iberian script is also known as Levantine Iberian or Iberian, because it is the Iberian script that was most frequently used and The southeastern Iberian script, also known as Meridional Iberian, was one of the means of written expression of the Iberian language, which was written mainly The Paleohispanic scripts are the writing systems created in the Iberian peninsula before the Latin alphabet became the dominant script A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a Consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the Vocal tract. In Articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a Speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the upper Vocal tract, the upper vocal In Phonetics, a vowel is a Sound in spoken Language, such as English ah! or oh!, pronounced with an open Vocal tract From a writing systems point of view they are neither alphabets nor syllabaries, they are mixed scripts that normally are identified as semi-syllabaries. A writing system is a type of Symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in Language. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either A syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent (or approximate Syllables which make up Words A symbol in a syllabary typically represents an optional A semi-syllabary is a Writing system that behaves partly as an Alphabet and partly as a Syllabary. About this common origin, there is no agreement between researchers: for some this origin is only linked to the Phoenician alphabet while for others the Greek alphabet had participated too. The Phoenician alphabet is a continuation of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, by convention taken to originate around 1050 BC The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early

Further reading

• Beltrán, Miguel (1996): Los iberos en Aragón, Zaragoza. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)
• Ruiz, Arturo; Molinos, Manuel (1993): Los iberos, Barcelona. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)
• Sanmartí, Joan; Santacana, Joan (2005): Els ibers del nord, Barcelona. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
• Sanmartí, Joan (2005): «La conformación del mundo ibérico septentrional», Palaeohispanica 5, pp. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 333-358.

Gallery

Funerary vase from the necropolis of Lucentum (the Roman name for Alacant, València, Spain). A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember The vase (ˈveɪs /ˈveɪz/ or/ˈvɑːz/ is an open container often used to hold cut Flowers It can be made from a number of materials including Ceramics and A necropolis (plural necropoleis or necropoles) is a large Cemetery or burial place (from Greek nekropolis "city of the dead" Lucentum is the name of the Roman predecessor of the city of Alicante, Spain. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC ||-||} Alicante ( Spanish language) or Alacant ( Valencian) is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. [12]

Iberian lion of Bujalance, in Andalusia, Spain. The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. Bujalance is a town located in the heart of Andalucia, southern Spain, in the province of Córdoba; in 2005 it had 7870 inhabitants Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

Iberian tomb in an ancient Iberian village, near Azaila, in Aragón, Spain. For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. "Ancient" redirects here For other uses see Ancient_(disambiguation. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Azaila is a municipality in the Province of Teruel, in Spain. Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.

See also

Modern peoples of Iberia:

• Spanish people
• Catalan people
• Asturian people
• Galician people
• Basque people
• Portuguese people

Pre-Roman cultures of Iberia:

• Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula
• Tartessos
• Celts
• Celtiberians
• Lusitanians

Archeological sites:

• Lucentum

Related to Iberian culture:

• Iberian language
• Iberian scripts

References

External links

• Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)
• Iberian Epigraphy Page, by J.R. Ramos