Iberians

Iberians (Greek: Ibēres, Latin: Hiberi, Hiberes) of Spain, ancient population of Spain. They originally lived in southern and eastern Spain, then (7^th–3^rd centuries BC) – throughout the Iberian Peninsula. They are considered to be North African tribes.

From ancient times, there was an opinion about their kinship with the Iberians of the Caucasus (Appian of Alexandria, Strabo), which was known to Georgian scholars even in the Middle Ages (George the Hagiorite). The hypothesis about the kinship of the Iberians and the Kartvelian tribes is still unresolved today.

The most prominent of the Iberian tribes were: Turdetani, Turduli, Bastetani, Carpetani, Indigets, Indigetes, and etc. The tribes were united around fortified urban settlements (Numantia, Segovia, Tarragona, and others). An important center of Iberian culture was the region of the Turdetani (present-day Andalusia and Murcia), where, according to ancient authors, the state of Tartessos existed (founded in 1100 BC).

As a result of the fusion of the Iberians with the Celts, the Celtiberian tribe was formed in the 6^th–3^rd centuries BC.

Iberians were influenced by the Phoenicians and Greeks. They had their own writing system. In the 5^th–3^rd centuries BC, Iberia was conquered by the Carthaginians. In the 3^rd–2^nd centuries BC – the Romans (conquered all of Spain in 19–18 BC). In the 2^nd century BC – 1^st century AD, the Iberians were Romanized.

 

Source: აპიანე ალექსანდრიელი, მითრიდატეს ომების ისტორია, თ. ყაუხჩიშვილის გამოც., თბ., 1959.

 

N. Lomouri