Spanish History

Atapuerca

1200 BCE

The earliest record of hominids has been found in the Spanish cave of Atapuerca;a flint tool found there dates from 1.4 m. years ago, and early human fossils date to roughly 1.2 m. years ago.Modern humans in the form of Cro-Magnons began arriving in the Iberian Peninsula from north of the Pyrenees some 35,000 years ago.The famous paintings in the northern Spanish cave of Altamira, which were done c. 15,000 BC and are regarded as paramount instances of cave art.

Early times

900 BCE

Before the Roman conquest the major cultures along the Mediterranean coast were the Iberians, the Celts in the interior and north-west,the Lusitanians in the west,and the Tartessians in the southwest.The seafaring Phoenicians,Carthaginians, and Greeks successively established trading settlements along the eastern and southern coast. The first Greek colonies, such as Emporion (modern Empúries), were founded along the northeast coast in the 9th century BC,leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians

The Greeks

600 BCE

The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, apparently after the river Iber (Ebro). In the 6th century BC, the Carthaginians arrived in Iberia, struggling first with the Greeks, and shortly after, with the newly arriving Romans for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern-day Cartagena).

The Romans

200 BCE

Hispania was the name used for the Iberian Peninsula under Roman rule from the 2nd century BC.The Romans improved existing cities,such as Tarragona,and established others like Zaragoza, Mérida, Valencia, León, Badajoz, and Palencia.The peninsula's economy expanded under Roman tutelage.Hispania supplied Rome with food, olive oil,wine and metal.The emperors Trajan,Hadrian,and Theodosius I,the philosopher Seneca,and the poets Martial, Quintilian, and Lucan were born in Hispania.