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Pre-Roman Portugal,
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Pre-Roman Portugal.
==
Iron Age==
*
10th Century BC**First contacts between
Phoenicians and
Iberia (along the
Mediterranean coast).
**Development of
Tartessos, the first
Iberia State mentioned in writing sources. Tartessos was a centralized
Monarchy brought about under
Phoenician influence and maintained commercial relations with the area of modern
Algarve, inhabited by the
Cynetes or Cunetes, and
Portuguese Estremadura.
**Emergence of
towns and cities in the southern littoral areas of western
Iberia.
*
9th Century BC**Foundation of the
Phoenician (from the city-state of
Tyre (Lebanon)) colony of
Carthage (in
North Africa).
** Foundation of the
Phoenician colony of
Gadir (modern
Cádiz) near
Tartessos. Contrary to myth, there is no record of Phoenician colonies west of the
Strait of Gibraltar, even though there might have been some voyages of discovery. Phoenician influence in what is now
Portuguese territory was through cultural and commercial exchange with Tartessos.
**
Phoenicians introduce in
Iberia the
use of Iron, of the
Potter's wheel, the production of
Olive oil and
Wine. They were also responsible for the first forms of Iberian writing, had big religious influence and accelerated urban development.
**There are organized settlements in
Olissipona (modern
Lisbon, in
Portuguese Estremadura) with clear
Mediterranean influences. The myth of a
Phoenician foundation of the city as far back as
1300 BC, under the name
Alis Ubbo ("Safe Harbour") is unreal
*
8th Century BC - Strong
Phoenician influence in the city of
Balsa (modern
Tavira in the
Algarve).
*
7th Century BC**Strong
Tartessian influence in the area of modern
Algarve.
**Second wave of
Indo-European (
Celts of the
Hallstatt culture?) migration into
Portuguese territory.
*
6th Century BC**Decadence of
Phoenician colonization of the
Mediterranean coast of
Iberia. Many of the colonies are deserted.
**Fall of
Tartessos.
**Beginning of
Greek settlement in the
Iberian peninsula, namely in the eastern
Mediterranean shore (modern
Catalonia). There are no Greek colonies west of the
Strait of Gibraltar, only voyages of discovery. The myth of an ancient Greek founding of
Olissipo (modern
Lisbon) by
Ulysses is unreal.
**Rise of the colonial might of
Carthage, which slowly replaces the
Phoenician in its former areas of dominion.
**
Phoenician influenced
Tavira is destroyed by violence.
**Cultural shift in southern
Portuguese territory after the fall of
Tartessos, with a strong
Mediterranean character that prolonges and modifies Tartessian culture. This occurs mainly in Low
Alentejo and the
Algarve, but has littoral extensions up to the
Tagus mouth (namely the important city of
Bevipo, modern
Alcácer do Sal).
**First form of writing in western
Iberia (south of
Portugal), the
Southwest script (still to be translated), denotes strong
Tartessian influence in its use of a modified
Phoenician alphabet. In this writings the word
Conii (similar to Cunetes or Cynetes, the people of the
Algarve) appears frequently.
**The poem
Ora Maritima, written by
Avienus in the
4th century and based on the
Massaliote Periplus of the
6th Century BC, states that all of western
Iberia was once called for the name of its people, the
Oestriminis, which were replaced by an invasion of the
Saephe or
Ophis (meaning Serpent). From then on western Iberia would have been know as
Ophiussa (Land of the Serpents). The poem probably translates the impact of the Second wave of
Indo-European migrations (
Celtic) in the
7th Century BC. The poem also describes the various ethnic groups the present at that time:
***The
Saephe or Ophis, today seen as probably
Hallstatt culture Celts, in all of western Iberia (modern
Portugal) between the
Douro and the
Sado rivers.
***The
Cempsi, probably
Hallstatt culture Celts, in the
Tagus mouth and the south up to the
Algarve.
***The
Cynetes or Cunetes in the extreme south and some cities along the
Atlantic coast (such as
Olissipo, modern
Lisbon), probably not
Indo-European, but autochthonous Iberian (even if strongly or totally celticized over the next centuries).
***The
Dragani,
Celt or Proto-Celt of the first
Indo-European wave, in the mountainous areas of
Galicia, northern
Portugal,
Asturias and
Cantabria.
***The
Lusis, probably a first reference to the
Lusitanians, similar to the Dragani (
Celt or Proto-Celt of the first
Indo-European wave).
*
5th Century BC**Further development of strong
Central European (
Celtic) influences and migrations in western
Iberia north of the
Tagus river.
**Development of a 2nd
Castro Village culture in
Galicia and northern
Portugal.
**First
mint of
coins and use of
money in the
Iberian peninsula.
**Discovery voyages to the
Atlantic by the
Carthaginians.
**The
Greek historian
Herodotus of Halicarnassus cites the word
Iberia to designate what is now the
Iberian peninsula, according to ancient Greek costume.
**Urban bloom of
Tartessian influenced
Tavira.
*
4th Century BC**The
Celtici, a new wave of
Celtic migration (of the
La Tène culture), enter deeply into
Portuguese territory and settle in the
Alentejo also penetrating in the
Algarve.
**The
Turduli and
Turdetani, probably descendants of the
Tartessians, are established in the area of the
Guadiana river, in the south of modern
Portugal.
**A series of cities in the
Algarve, such as
Balsa (
Tavira),
Baesuris (
Castro Marim),
Ossonoba(
Faro) and
Cilpes (
Silves), are inhabited by the
Cynetes or Cunetes progressively mingled with
Celtic populations.
**The
Lusitanians (mosyt probably proto-
Celt) inhabit the area between the
Douro and the
Tagus rivers (and progressively penetrate the High
Alentejo). They are neighbored to the east by the
Vettones (also probably proto-
Celt).
**The
Celtic Calaicians or Gallaeci inhabit all the region above the
Douro river (modern
Galicia and northern
Portugal).
**
Rome begins to rise as a
Mediterranean power rival to
Carthage.
*
3rd Century BC**The
First Punic War (
264 BC-
241 BC) between
Rome and
Carthage. Roman victory.
=See also=
*
Timeline of Portuguese historyExternal links
*
http://www.arqueotavira.com/Mapas/Iberia/Populi.htm Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)Category:History of Portugalnl:Pre-Romeins Portugalpt:Povos ibéricos pré-romanos