It is the period of time from the invention ot writing 5000 years ago to the the fall of the Roman Empire 476 D.C
During this time, great civilizations developed: Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians and Carthaginians.
In Pre-Roman times, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited by two groups of people: the Iberians and the Celts.
The Iberians
The Iberians inhabited the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula during the bronze Age.. They were organized in tribes headed by a chief. They lived in fortified settlements, called hill forts, built on hilltops. They built rectangular houses. Many Iberians worked as crop and livestock farmers. Some were expert craftsmen and made iron swords, pottery and cloth. Others were warriors and traders. They used their own money for trading and developed their own writing.
The Celts
The Celts appeared in Europe during the Iron age. They lived in the North and Centre of the Iberian peninsula.They lived in walled towns called forts. Their houses were circular, made of stone and straw. They were organized into tribes. They produced their own food because most people were farmers.They were excellent metalworkers and made iron and bronze objects like tools and weapons. They were warriors. Archaeologists have found many Celtic structures and artefacts: coins, jewellery or sculptures. They did not know how to write and did not use money.
The Phoenicians came from Asia about 2,600 years ago to trade with the people of the Iberian Peninsula. They settled on the south coast of the Iberian Peninsula and founded trading colonies, such as Gadir (Cádiz), Malaka (Málaga) and Sexi (Almuñécar).
They founded Cádiz and Málaga.
The were the best navigators in the Mediterranean.They were excellent sailors and merchants.
They traded and used metal resources: gold, silver, iron and copper.
They brought their alphabet to the Iberian peninsula. They developed the first version of the alphabet we use today.
They used techniques for mining and working with metals.
The Phoenicians lived in city-states.
The Carthaginians ( los cartagineses)
They came from North Africa
They controlled Ibiza and founded Cartagena.
They attached the greek colony of Saguntum.
They were the main cultural influence in Spain.
The Romans defeated the Carthaginians.
The Carthaginians came from the north of Africa to the
Iberian Peninsula about 2,300 years ago. They settled in the
old Phoenician colonies in the east of the Iberian Peninsula
and on the Balearic Islands. They founded new colonies,
such as Cartago Nova (Cartagena) and Ebusus (Ibiza).
They came to the Iberian Peninsula to trade metals. They
made artisan objects, like necklaces, amulets and pots. The Carthaginians were warrior people. They fought with
the Romans to rule the Mediterranean. The victory of the
Romans caused the end of the Carthaginian civilization.
The ancient Greeks
Greece is located in southeastern Europe and is formed by a peninsula and a large number of islands.
They lived in cities called Polis: Sparta and Athens. The polis grew and new colonies were founded: Ampurias and Marseille.
Athens along with Sparta was one of the most powerful polis.
Society was divided into citizens who participated in politics and non-citizens who could not participate( they were foreigners, women and slaves)
They met in a public square called the agora.
Democracy emerged. Citizens gathered and voted.
Religion: they were polytheists: they had various gods.
Theatre: they performed comedies and tragedies.
Sport: they held the Olympic Games every four years.
Art and architecture: They elaborated sculptures such as the Discobolus of Myron and temples such as the Parthenon of Athens.
The ancient Greek civilization began 3,000
years ago in the eastern Mediterranean
Sea. The ancient Greeks lived in small
city-states. In Greek, a city-state was called
a polis. Each city-state had its own
governors, laws and army. The first
city-states were Athens and Sparta.
Some of these city-states were governed
by people elected by free citizens. This was
the origin of democracy.
They expanded their territories and created
colonies. The ancient Greeks took their
government, culture and beliefs to their
colonies.
The ancient Greeks created colonies in the
Iberian Peninsula like Rhode (Rodas),
Emporion (Ampurias), Sagunto and
Hemeroskopeion (Denia).
The colonies were fortified. Life was
organized around the acropolis and the
agora. The acropolis was the area with the most
important buildings, like the temple.
The agora was a square where citizens
walked and debated. The market was in
the agora.
The ancient Greeks brought important
things to the Iberian Peninsula. They
brought the potter’s wheel, to help make
pottery. They also brought money, to help
commerce.
The Romans
The Roman Empire spread throughout the Mediterranean coast. The territory was divided into provinces and each province headed by a governor. The conquest of territories was called Romanization.
The empire was ruled by an Emperor. The senate advised the emperor. The army was organized into legions of 5000 men led by a general.
Society was made up of citizens and non-citizens. The patricians (rich and free) lived in luxurious houses called domus and participated in politics and the plebeyos (peasants, artisans and merchants) who lived in insulas.
Slaves were not considered citizens, they were owned by someone else.
Religion: they were polytheists: they had various gods.
Amusements: the theater, the circus. They go to the hot springs and the amphitheater. The Roman theater of Mérida stands out.
Art and architecture: they built bridges like the one in Alcántara in Cáceres and great buildings.
The city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. on the
Italian Peninsula. The Roman people created a huge
empire. First, they conquered the whole of Italy. Later, the
Romans conquered other people along the coast of
the Mediterranean Sea.
The Roman Empire lasted until 476 A.D. In that year,
the last Roman Emperor, Augustus, was defeated.
The Roman army
The Roman conquerors had a powerful army.
It was made up of legions. Each legion had
between 5,000 and 6,000 soldiers.
The soldiers were called legionaries.
The training was very tough. The legionaries
were paid a salary and had to stay in the
army for 20 years.
The Roman conquest of Hispania
The Romans and the Carthaginians fought each other
in the Punic Wars. In 218 B.C., the Romans arrived
on the Iberian Peninsula. They quickly defeated the
Carthaginian army and expelled the Carthaginians.
The Romans occupied the Iberian Peninsula and
called it Hispania.
The conquest lasted over 200 years:
The Romans quickly occupied the Mediterranean
coast.
Later, the Romans conquered the tribes who lived
inland. This was more difficult, as the tribes put up
a strong resistance.
Finally, in 19 B.C. the emperor Augustus defeated
the tribes from the north. The Roman conquest of
the Iberian Peninsula was completed.
The organization of Hispania
The Romans divided Hispania into five provinces:
Baetica, Lusitania, Tarraconensis, Gallaecia and
Carthaginensis.
Each province was ruled by a governor.
The Romans introduced the laws of the Roman
Empire. Many of today’s laws are based on Roman
law.
Cities
The Romans founded many cities in Hispania, for
example Tarraco (Tarragona), Emerita Augusta
(Mérida) or Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza).
They were walled towns with straight roads. The
Romans built very solid buildings using cement and
concrete.
The most important buildings were in the main square,
which they called the forum. There were
amphitheatres, where gladiators fought. There were
theatres, where actors performed in comedies and
tragedies. There were circuses, where there were
horse and chariot races. There were baths, where
people went to wash. There were temples,
where people worshipped Roman gods.
They built triumphal arches, roads and bridges. They
built aqueducts to transport water.
Roman society
Roman society was divided into two groups: free
people and slaves. Slaves were owned by another person. Slaves had
no rights and did not have their own things. They
worked on the land, in domestic service, in mines
or as gladiators at the amphitheatre.
Some free people were rich people, called
patricians. Others were craftsmen, merchants and
farmers and were called plebeians. Free people had
rights and could take part in government.
The economy
The main economic activity was trading. A network of
stone roads was built to connect cities and help
trading. One of the older commercial routes is Via
Delapidata, which crosses Spain from north to south.
Other economic activities were mining and crop farming.
Roman houses
The Romans lived in different types of houses:
Domus were private houses for rich people. They
were large homes with an atrium, or patio, in the
centre to let in light.
Insulae were apartment buildings for poor people.
They had three or four storeys. Most Romans lived
in an insula. These buildings were crowded and
uncomfortable.
Villas were luxury Roman
country houses where
rich landowners lived.
The Roman legacy
Life on the Iberian Peninsula changed little
by little. People adapted to Roman culture
and customs. This process is called
Romanization.
Religion and culture
Initially, people in Hispania worshipped
Roman gods. They built temples where
they gave gifts and sacrificed animals.
Gradually they converted to Christianity,
which became the official religion of the
Roman Empire.
Latin was the official language of
Hispania. It replaced all the languages spoken in the
Iberian Peninsula before the Roman
conquest, except for the Basque language.
The other languages now spoken in Spain
evolved from Latin.
Hispano-Roman art
The Romans decorated their buildings in Hispania with
marble and bronze sculptures of their gods and
emperors. They also decorated their walls with
frescoes. These paintings usually showed scenes of
everyday life. The Romans covered their floors with
mosaics. Mosaics consist of tiny coloured tiles made
of stone or glass stuck in plaster.
The Romans left important works of art in Hispania. Many of them can still be seen today.