Historia de España 1: Prehistoria y Culturas antiguas

Scientific Concepts, Discoveries, and Nature/Archaeological Phenomena

Human Evolution and Prehistoric Timelines

• Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos) archaeological discoveries:
  • Evidence supporting the existence of a new hominin species: Homo antecessor.
  • A claim that humans lived in Europe more than 800,000 years ago, earlier than previously believed.
• Discovery of a “common ancestor” linking:
  • Homo sapiens sapiens to Neanderthals, implying long coexistence and genealogical connections.

Paleolithic Archaeology and Prehistoric Art

• Altamira Cave: a key site for studying Paleolithic art.
• Subsistence strategies of its inhabitants:
  • Hunting
  • Fishing
  • Gathering
  • Collecting shellfish
• Clothing technology and adaptation to climate:
  • Garments made from animal skins, including trousers, jackets, hoods, raincoats, and boots.
• Upper Paleolithic cave painting, dated to ~18,000–14,000 years ago.
• Polychrome Hall:
  • Described as containing one of the world’s best collections of cave art.
  • Features major painted/engraved animals and symbols:
    • Bison, horses, deer
    • Anthropomorphic “hands”
    • Painted/engraved signs (associated with Solutrean and Magdalenian periods)
  • Compared to the “Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic art.”

Neolithic Transition (Mediterranean and Iberian Peninsula)

• Development in the Mediterranean Basin (c. 6000–3200 BC).
• Key behavioral/technological changes:
  • Pottery appearance
  • Domestication of animals and plants
  • Sedentarization (beginning of permanent settlement) in the Iberian Peninsula
• Early Neolithic communities are described as appearing on the Mediterranean coast.

Chalcolithic / Copper Metallurgy

• Occurs in caves and natural shelters such as:
  • Bat Cave of Albuñol (Granada) (~3200–1800 BC)
• Defined by:
  • The beginning of metallurgical activity using copper
  • Copper used especially for luxury objects in the Iberian Peninsula
• Los Millares culture (Almería area; prominent settlements):
  • Collective tombs near settlements, interpreted as evidence for strong kinship ties.

Bell Beaker “Phenomenon” (Ritual Culture)

• Widespread both within and outside Spain.
• Described as a burial ritual involving:
  • Individuals buried with rich grave goods
  • Bell-shaped decorated ceramic vessels
  • Ceramics decorated with a pattern (as described by the subtitles)

Bronze Age Technological and Trade Transformations

• c. 1800–1250 BC: Bronze Age with progressive mastery of bronze metallurgy
  • Produces more efficient and varied tools
• El Argar culture:
  • Presented as the first major Bronze Age cultural area
  • c. 1250–750 BC, focused on Almería
• Late Atlantic Bronze Age:
  • Atlantic becomes consolidated as a communication/connection route
  • The Iberian Peninsula becomes important for attraction, exploitation, and trade of metals

Urnfield Culture (End of the Bronze Age and Funerary Practice)

• Late Bronze Age changes:
  • Small groups from Central Europe cross the Pyrenees
• Urnfield culture characterized by:
  • Cremation of the deceased
  • Depositing ashes in an urn
  • Urns buried with grave goods

Mediterranean Colonizations and Cultural Diffusion

• From the 6th century BC onward:
  • Phoenician, Greek, and Punic colonizations
  • Connect southern/eastern Iberia to the Mediterranean cultural world
  • Include populations in contemporary commercial networks

Tartessian Emergence (Phoenician Influence)

• Phoenician influence helps drive development of Tartessian culture.
• Associated changes:
  • Adoption of new, more refined pottery techniques
  • Development linked with metalworking, goldsmithing, assimilation of beliefs and rites, and the practice of writing (around 6th century BC)

Cultural Geography: Celtic vs. Iberian Peoples

• Broad division of the peninsula into two cultural areas:

Celtic peoples

• Occupied an interior strip between the Ebro Valley and Portugal
• Cultural inheritance from Central European peoples at the end of the Bronze Age
• Often lived in fortified villages, controlling routes and farming/grazing fields
• Territory demarcation via strategically placed animal sculptures (e.g., Bulls of Guisando)

Iberians

• Lived in a territory open to the Mediterranean coast
• Strongly shaped by contact with Mediterranean peoples
• Religious practice includes votive offerings in sacred places
• Notable emphasis on a mother goddess:
  • Sometimes depicted seated on a throne (e.g., Lady of Baza)
• Lady of Elche:
  • From the 5th century BC
  • Uncertain interpretation: either a female deity or a high-ranking woman
  • A hollow in her back might suggest an alternative funerary function (possibly as a funerary urn, as stated)

Roman Expansion as the Next Major Historical Transition

• At the end of the 3rd century BC, Roman legions penetrate Iberia.
• The subtitles present this as initiating a new era in Iberian history.

Researchers or Sources Featured (as Named in the Subtitles)

• Brew (mentioned in connection with describing Altamira’s Polychrome Hall as the “Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic art.”)