We explain what Prehistory was in the Iberian Peninsula, its characteristics and periods. Also, the first humans on the Peninsula.
What was Prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula?
The term Prehistory refers to the oldest periods in human history.from the origin of the human being to the appearance of writing. What characterizes Prehistory is not only its antiquity but also that its research is based on the work of archaeologists, paleoanthropologists and other specialists who study societies that left no written records.
In recent times, considerable progress has been made in understanding this long period. The extension of Archaeological studies and scientific advances contributed to developing much safer dating systemsaccompanied by the improvement of other analysis techniques.
The prehistoric cultures of different regions of the world had their particularities. In the Iberian Peninsula, the first signs of occupation of the genus Homo correspond to the fossil remains of the species Homo antecessor more than 800,000 years ago. Regarding the anatomically modern human being (he Homo sapiens sapiens), appeared on the Peninsula for the first time 35,000 years ago.
The periods that make up the Prehistory of the modern human being (Homo sapiens sapiens) in the Iberian Peninsula They are divided into:
- Paleolithic Upper (35,000-10,000 BC). The men were hunter gatherers.
- Mesolithic o Epipaleolithic (10,000-6000 BC). A period of incipient sedentarization begins.
- Neolithic (6000-3000 BC). The domestication of plants and animals begins, along with the production of ceramic containers.
- Age of Metals. Metallurgy and other technical and social innovations are introduced. This stage includes the Ages of Copper (from 3000 or 2700 to 2000 or 1800 BC), of Bronze (from 2000 or 1800 to 750 BC) and of Iron. (from 750 to 200 BC). The final moments are considered Protohistory, since the archaeological testimonies can be complemented with written sources (especially from the Greeks and Romans).
The hominization process
One of the great topics of research on the prehistoric past is the process of hominization: the evolutionary sequence that led to the appearance of the genus Homo and, in particular, to Homo sapiens (the modern human being). To understand this process, prehistorians, paleoanthropologists and archaeologists study human fossil remains, as well as utensils or other remains. that appear associated with them in archaeological sites.
The general consensus among scholars is that hominization began in Africa. He Australopithecuswhose oldest remains were dated around 4,200,000 years ago, it evolved into the Homo habilis 2,400,000 years ago. He Homo habilis is the first human species (i.e., of the genus Homo) known.
From then on, the panorama of evolution became increasingly complex. Two later species, homo ergaster and Homo erectusThey emigrated to Europe and Asia (although it is generally called Homo erectus to fossil remains found specifically in Asia).
The first humans on the Iberian Peninsula
The oldest human remains found in the Iberian Peninsula date back to more than 800,000 years ago. In the Gran Dolina, in the mountains of Atapuerca (Burgos), 86 human fossil remains were found belonging to the skulls and jaws of six individuals (four children and two adults), who lived more than 800,000 years ago and whose anthropomorphic characteristics seem to differentiate them from other fossils found in Europe. For this reason, they are considered to belong to a species derived from the homo ergaster that, based on this discovery, received the name of Homo antecessor (“pioneer human” or “the one who precedes others”).
In the Sima de los Huesosalso located in the mountains of Atapuerca, abundant human fossil remains belonging to around 28 individuals 430,000 years old. Traditionally it was considered that they corresponded to the species Homo heidelbergensis, but currently it is estimated that they were related to the Homo neanderthalensiswhich is why they are sometimes identified as preneanderthals.
According to the Atapuerca research team, these first humans arrived to the Peninsula from Africa. It is assumed that their movement towards Europe could have been due to following the herds of animals on which their food depended.
The last two species of the genus Homo that appeared in the peninsular territory were the Homo neanderthalensiswith an antiquity in the Peninsula of about 95,000 years, and the Homo sapiens, about 35,000 years ago.
The Upper Paleolithic
The existence of human beings with modern anatomy (Homo sapiens) It is documented in the Iberian Peninsula from the Upper Paleolithic period (35,000 BC). Initially, these populations coexisted with Neanderthals, but they became extinct around 28,000 BC. c.
Paleolithic populations They made weapons and utensils of stone or bone, and practiced hunting, fishing, and gathering.. In addition, they had a nomadic way of life, although they could live seasonally in caves or cabins.
The most striking aspect of these towns is the rock art. Some of the most important examples of this art were found in the Iberian Peninsula, such as the bison and other animals painted in the Altamira cave (dated to around 14,000 BC).
The final phase of the Paleolithic, which some researchers call the Mesolithic or Epipaleolithic, took place between approximately 10,000 and 6000 BC. c. In this phase, coinciding with the end of the ice age, Paleolithic populations began to experience sedentary ways of life. Also at this stage, the oldest cemeteries on the peninsula: the necropolis of El Collado (Valencia) and Cabeço da Arruda (Torres Vedras).
The Neolithic
The beginning of the Neolithic period in the Iberian Peninsula is usually related to the emergence of a type of ceramic production called “printed ceramics”, starting around 6000 BC. c. In general, this ceramic was found on the Mediterranean coasts, where livestock and agriculture expanded for the next two millennia.
The tendency towards sedentarization also deepened and rock art grew in the Levantine region. In the final phases of the Neolithic period the construction of megalithic monuments spreadespecially in the south of the peninsula. These structures were also documented in the later period, known as the Chalcolithic or Copper Age, which began around 3000 BC. c.
The Age of Metals
The Age of Metals in the Iberian Peninsula was characterized by the introduction of metallurgy and is subdivided into three periods:
- The Copper Age began around 3000 BC. c. and was characterized by the development of copper tools, the establishment of towns on elevated sites and the expansion of megalithic monuments (like the dolmen of El Romeral, in Andalusia).
Towards the end of this stage, the expansion of a type of ceramic called “bell-shaped glass” also occurred. The maximum expressions of the Copper Age were the culture of Los Millaresin the southeast of the peninsula, and the culture of the Tagusnext to the mouth of this river.
- The Bronze Agecharacterized by obtaining bronze through an alloy of copper and tin, It began in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 or 1800 BC. c. The main culture of this period was that of El Argar, which takes its name from a site located in Almería.
The use of bronze allowed the development of more effective weapons, which was related to a greater tendency towards military confrontation between different groups. They built walled towns on elevated sites and gave rise to a form of social hierarchy based on the formation of warrior aristocracies. However, in this stage exchange relations also expanded, although the economic base continued to be agricultural and livestock activity.
- The last phase of the Age of Metals, called Iron Age, roughly coincides with the Ancient Age of the Iberian Peninsula (which began with the so-called Protohistory and concluded with Roman domination). The Iron Age It began around 750 BC. C., when iron technology was introduced. At this time there were important links with other ancient societies, especially Mediterranean ones. Its end is usually marked at the time of the Roman conquest, in the 3rd century BC. c.
References
- Atapuerca Foundation (sf). Atapuerca Foundation. https://www.atapuerca.org/
- Harrison, R.J. et al. (2022). Spain. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Menéndez Fernández, M. (coord.) (2006-2007). Prehistory and Protohistory of the Iberian Peninsula. 2 volumes. UNED.
- Rodríguez García, L. (2018). First Europeans. Antecessor and Heidelbergensis. Atapuerca Foundation.
- Roldán Hervás, JM (2013). Ancient history of Spain I. Pre-Roman Iberia, Republican and High Imperial Hispania. UNED.
