Concept in Definition ABC

The Celts above, the Iberians below and, as a result of their meeting in the middle, the Celtiberians. In short, this is the essence of how historiography Spanish of an entire era defined the Celtiberians.

Celtiberian culture developed in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula from the 13th century BC. C, the result of the penetration of the Celtic peoples from northern Europe into the peninsula, and their encounter with the Iberian culture, typical of the area.

We cannot speak of a specific area, with delimited borders, due in large part to the lack of historical sources, and the diffuse nature of delimiting a cultural fusion.

It should also be noted that the Celtiberians are not exactly one or the other, that is, as good mixture have cultural components of both groups, but without being able to be fully homologated with one or with others.

The origin of the Celtiberians is diffuse; the most widely accepted hypothesis is that the cultural fusion occurred due to the Celtic invasions from the north of the Pyrenees mountain range.

As would happen with other migrations, the assumption is that the tribes that emigrated were “pushed” by others that, in turn, descended from the north of the continent looking for spaces with a weather more pleasant and a more fertile land.

The Germanic tribes from Scandinavia and the north of what is now Germany, also put pressure on the Celtic tribes who, in turn, they were forced (for having been evicted from their original lands) to pressure other tribes, causing the entry into the Iberian Peninsula.

The Iberian populations native to the peninsula were cornered on the eastern and southern coastline, while the west, the north and most of the center of the peninsula, remained in the hands of peoples Celts.

However, another theory defends the formation in situ of the Celtic culture, at the same time as the Iberian culture.

Both peoples, of traditions and different languages, they would have coexisted in peace (with its inevitable confrontations, just like all neighbors throughout history, but without this implying an invasion), with the fusion already known in the border area before delimited.

Celtiberian culture has its own characteristics, although common not only to the two cultures that originate it, but also shared with other cultures.

This is the case of cremation for the burial of the deceased, small settlements in high altitude areas, so that they were easily defensible in case of attack, and rectangular houses, generally of a single stay.

Like other cultures, it is not static, but it is mutating due to its own dynamics or due to the direct and indirect influences it receives from other cultures. This is the case of settlements, which will grow in size over time.

We can distinguish three periods: ancient, full, and late Celtiberian.

The old one is the stage of formation and consolidation, while the full one corresponds to the era of greatest brilliance of this culture, whose cultural traits already are consolidated, while the ancient Celtiberian corresponds to the period of decadence that leads to their disappearance, due to causes external to these peoples.

The beginning of the end of the Celtiberians came with the Romans, between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. C.

The long process of romanization, accepted by the natives willingly in some cases, and in others by the force, replaced the local culture by the Roman one, with more or less influences from the preceding culture.

This was not an exclusive phenomenon of the Iberian Peninsula and its peoples, but it occurred in almost all the parts in which the Roman empire it had a presence, and to a greater or lesser degree according to the centuries in which Rome was present.

The Iberian Peninsula, being one of the scenes of the Punic Wars, had a Roman presence from very early on, being, therefore, a territory highly Romanized, since Roman culture had a long time to be noticed and influence the customs of the locals.

Photo: Fotolia - Sergey Kamshylin

Celtiberian themes