List of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula

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This is a list of the Pre-Roman people of the Iberian peninsula (the Roman Hispania, i. e., modern Portugal, Spain and Andorra). Some closely fit the concept of a people, ethnic group or tribe. Others are confederations or even unions of tribes.

Pre-Indo-European speakers[]

Aquitanians[]

Iberians[]

  • - in the mountains of East Pyrenees southern slopes, in the high Segre river basin, area of modern Andorra.
  • Ausetani - in the Osona region (old County of Osona), in the middle Ter river basin. Ausa (today's Vic) was their main centre.
  • Bastetani/Bastitani/Bastuli - The biggest iberian tribal confederation in area, they dwelt in a territory that included large areas of the mediterranean coast and the Sierra Nevada, in what are today parts of the modern provinces of Murcia, Albacete, Jaén, Almería, Granada and Málaga. Basti (today's Baza) was their main centre.
  • Bergistani/Bergusii - in the high Llobregat river basin, roughly in today's Barcelona province. Berga was their main centre. North of the Lacetani.
  • Castellani - in the high Ter river basin, East Pyrenees southern slopes. North of the Ausetani.
  • Cessetani/Cossetani - in the Tarraco region (roughly in today's central and east Tarragona province), in the mediterranean coastal region. Kese (Tarraco in Roman times, that would become the Hispania Tarraconensis capital), was their main centre.
  • Ceretani/Cerretani - in Cerretana (today's Cerdanya/Cerdaña) and other East Pyrenees mountains southern slopes, also in the high Segre and Noguera rivers basins (tributaries of the Iberus - Ebro river), in the east part of Ribagorça. Libyca or Julia Libyca (today's Llivia) was their main centre. North of the Ilergetes and the Bergistani.
  • Contestani - South of the Sucro (Xúquer) river and north of the Thader (Segura) river, in an area that today is roughly part of the Alicante/Alacant, Valencia, Murcia and Albacete provinces. A tribal confederation. East of the Bastetani.
    • - in and around Ilici territory (today's Elx/Elche)
  • Edetani - North of the Sucro (Xúquer/Júcar) river and south of the Millars river, roughly in today's Valencia province. One of the biggest iberian tribes or tribal confederations. Edeta (Roman times Lauro, today's Lliria), to the northwest of Valencia, was their main centre, Arse (Saguntum in Roman times, today's Sagunto/Sagunt) was also in their territory. North of the Contestani and the Bastetani and south of the Ilercavones.
  • Elisyces/Helisyces - a tribe that dwelt in the region of Narbo (Narbonne) and modern northern Roussillon. May have been either Iberian or Ligurian or a Ligurian-Iberian tribe.
  • Ilercavones - in the low Iberus (Ebro) river basin to the Millars river along the mediterranean coast and to the inland towards the Sierra de Gúdar, in Ilercavonia. One of the biggest iberian tribes or tribal confederations. Hibera (Roman time Dertusa or Dertosa, modern time Tortosa) was their main centre. North of the Edetani, south of the Ilergetes, east of the Sedetani and west of the Cessetani.
  • Ilergetes/Ilergetae - in the plains area of the middle and low Segre and Cinca rivers towards the Iberus (Ebro) river margins. One of the biggest Iberian tribes or tribal confederations. Iltrida (Ilerda in Roman times, today's Lérida/Lleida) was their main centre.
  • Indigetes/Indigetae - in the low Ter river basin, East Pyrenees southern slopes, they occupied the far north east area of the Iberian Peninsula known as Hispania Tarraconensis, in the gulf of Empodrae (Empúries) and Rhoda (Roses), stretching up into the Pyrenees though the regions of Empordà, Selva and perhaps as far as Gironès, in what is roughly today's Girona Province. Indika/Indiga or Undika was their main centre. A tribal confederation: they were formed by four tribes.
  • Lacetani - in the middle Llobregat river basin and surrounding hills. Northwest of the Laietani.
  • Laietani - in the low Llobregat river basin, along a part of the Mediterranean coast roughly in what is today a part of the Barcelona province and Barcelona city. Laieta (Barcino in Roman times and Barcelona in modern times) was their main centre.
  • Oretani? - In the high Baetis (Guadalquivir) river valley, eastern Marianus Mons (Sierra Morena) and southern area of today's La Mancha. They could have been an Iberian tribe, a Celtic one, or a mixed Celtic and Iberian tribe or tribal confederacy (and hence related to the Celtiberians). The // of today's La Mancha and the Germani (of Oretania) in eastern Marianus Mons (Sierra Morena) and west river valley, sometimes are included in the Oretani but it is not certain if they were Oretani tribes.
  • Sedetani - south of the Iberus (Ebro) river and west of the Guadalope river, roughly in the middle basin of the Iberus (Ebro). Salduie (Roman time Salduba and Caesaraugusta and modern time Zaragoza) was in their territory and they were possibly closely related to the Edetani. West of the Ilercavones.
  • Sordones - in the Roussillon territory (Pyrénées Orientales Départment, France), Ruscino (today's near Perpignan) was their main centre.
  • / - In today's northern Aragon, east of Gállego river, in Sobrarbe, in and around Bolskan, later Osca (Huesca), and high Cinca River valley, Spain. They could also be related to the Vascones and therefore be related to the Aquitani speaking the Aquitanian language, or a mixed Iberian-Aquitanian tribe or tribal conderacy.
  • Unknown named tribe or tribes in the Balearic Islands (formed by the Pityusic Islands and Gymnesian islands), may have been Iberians.

Indo-European speakers[]

Celts[]

Celts? Para-Celts, Pre-Celtic Indo-Europeans?[]

Lusitanians-Vettones[]

  • Lusitanians (Lusitani/Bellitani) – Portugal south of the Douro River and north of Tagus River, and northwestern Extremadura (Spain). They spoke Lusitanian that is a clearly Indo-European language but the filiation as a Celtic language is not surely proven (although many tribal names and place names, toponyms, are Celtic). Attempts to classify the language have also pointed at an Italic origin.[5] Hence Lusitanian language may have been a Para-Celtic Indo-European branch like Ligurian (i.e. an Indo-European language branch not Celtic but more closely related to Celtic). The Lusitanians have also been identified as being a pre-Celtic Indo-European speaking culture of the Iberian Peninsula closely related to the neighbouring Vettones tribal confederation.[2] However, under their controversial theory of Celtic originating in Iberia, John T Koch and Barry Cunliffe have proposed a para-Celtic identity for the Lusitanian language and culture or that they spoke an archaic Proto-Celtic language and were Proto-Celtic in ethnicity.
  • Vettones – Ávila, Salamanca (Spain), and most of Cáceres (Spain) possibly a Pre-Celtic Indo-European people, closely related to the Lusitani. If their language was not Celtic it might have been Para-Celtic like Ligurian (i.e. an Indo-European language branch not Celtic but more closely related to Celtic). A tribal confederation.
    • Bletonesii – Bletisama (today's Ledesma) was their main centre, Salamanca Province, Spain.
    • ? (according to some scholars, these tribes were Lusitanians and not Vettones)[2]
    • ?
    • ?

Turdetanians[]

  • Turdetani – Today's Western Andalucia (Hispania Baetica), Baetis (Guadalquivir) River valley and basin, Marianus Mons (Sierra Morena), some consider them Celtic.,[6] possibly a pre-Celtic Indo-European people as the Lusitani and Vettones. If their language was not Celtic it might have been Para-Celtic like Ligurian (i.e. an Indo-European language branch not Celtic but more closely related to Celtic). They might otherwise have been a non-Indo-European people related to the Iberians, but not the same people), (tribal confederation but with a much more centralized power, and had formed an early Kingdom or a Proto-civilisation, see Tartessos)

Germanic peoples?[]

  • Germani (Oretania)

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Aguña, Julián Hurtado (2003). "Las gentilidades presentes en los testimonios epigráficos procedentes de la Meseta meridional". Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: Bsaa (69): 185–206.
  2. ^ a b c d e Jorge de Alarcão, “Novas perspectivas sobre os Lusitanos (e outros mundos)”, in Revista portuguesa de Arqueologia, vol. IV, n° 2, 2001, p. 312 e segs.
  3. ^ Ptolemy, Geographia, II, 5, 6
  4. ^ Mountain, Harry. (1997). The Celtic Encyclopedia p. 225 ISBN 1-58112-890-8 (v. 1)
  5. ^ Indoeuropeos y no Indoeuropeos en la Hispania Prerromana, Salamanca: Universidad, 2000
  6. ^ Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia (illustrated ed.). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 198–200. ISBN 1-85109-440-7, ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0. ^ Jump up to: a b Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia (illustrated ed.). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 224–225. ISBN 1-85109-440-7, ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0.

Bibliography[]

  • Alberro, Manuel and Arnold, Bettina (eds.), e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies, Volume 6: The Celts in the Iberian Peninsula, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Center for Celtic Studies, 2005.
  • Guerra, Amilcar. (2005). Povos, cultura e língua no Ocidente Peninsular: uma perspectiva, a partir da toponomástica. Palaeohispánica: Revista sobre lenguas y culturas de la Hispania antigua, ISSN 1578-5386, Nº. 5, 2005 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Actas del IX coloquio sobre lenguas y culturas paleohispánicas (Barcelona, 20-24 de octubre de 2004)), pp. 793–822.
  • Haywood, John. (2001). Atlas of the Celtic World. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500051097 ISBN 978-0500051092
  • Kruta, Venceslas. (2000). Les Celtes, Histoire et Dictionnaire. Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont, coll. « Bouquins ». ISBN 2-7028-6261-6.
  • Luján Martinez, Eugenio R. (2006) "The Language(s) of the Callaeci," e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies: Vol. 6, Article 16. pp. 715–748. Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol6/iss1/16

Further reading[]

  • ALARCÃO, Jorge de (1992). “Etnogeografia da fachada atlântica ocidental da Península Ibérica”. In: ALMAGRO-GORBEA, M. e RUIZ ZAPATERO, G. (coords.). Paleoetnologia de la Peninsula Ibérica, 2–3, Madrid, Universidad Complutense: 339–345. (in Portuguese)

External links[]

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