Prehistoric Spain is a time period covering human development from the first hominids in Spain to the beginning of recorded history. Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... Genera Subfamily Ponginae Pongo - Orangutans Gigantopithecus (extinct) Sivapithecus (extinct) Subfamily Homininae Gorilla - Gorillas Pan - Chimpanzees Homo - Humans Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Pierolapithecus (extinct) (tentative) The Hominids (Hominidae) are a biological family which includes humans, extinct species of humanlike creatures and the other great apes... Ancient history is from the period of time when writing and historical records first appear, roughly 5,500 years before the Common Era. ...

The history of Spain is part of the history of Europe and of the present-day nations and states. ... Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the Iberian Peninsula, and to two of the three provinces they created there: Hispania Baetica and Hispania Tarraconensis (the third being Lusitania). ... After the disorders of the passage of the Vandals and Alans down the Mediterranean coast of Hispania from 409, the history of Medieval Spain begins with the Iberian kingdom of the Arian Visigoths (507 – 711), who were converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in 587. ... For other uses, see Reconquista (Disambiguation). ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History During the reign of Emperor Charles... The Age of Enlightenment came to Spain in the eighteenth century with the accession of King Philip V, the first Spanish king of the French Bourbon dynasty. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History Spain in the mid-nineteenth century... Flag of the Spanish First Republic The First Spanish Republic lasted only two years, between 1873 and 1874. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Restoration was the name given... Flag of the Second Spanish Republic The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936... History of Spain Series -Timeline -Prehistoric Spain -Roman Spain -Visigothic Spain -Medieval Spain -Moorish Spain -Age of Reconquest -Age of Expansion -Age of Enlightenment -Reaction and Revolution -First Spanish Republic -The Restoration -Second Spanish Republic -Spanish Civil War -The Dictatorship -Modern Spain Topics -Economic History -Military History -Social History The... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History Modern Spain begins after the death... History of Spain Series -Timeline -Roman Spain -Visigothic Spain -Moorish Spain -Age of Reconquest -Age of Expansion -Age of Enlightenment -Reaction and Revolution -First Spanish Republic -The Restoration -Second Spanish Republic -Spanish Civil War -The Dictatorship -Modern Spain Topics -Economic History -Military History -Social History The military history of Spain...

Early Hominids

Spain has a wealth of prehistoric sites. Many of the best preserved prehistoric remains are in the Atapuerca region, rich with limestone caves that have preserved a million years of human evolution. Among these sites is the cave of Gran Dolina, were six hominid skeletons, dated between 780,000 and 1 million years ago, were found in 1994. Experts have debated whether these skeletons belong to the species Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, or a new species called Homo antecessor. In the Gran Dolina, investigators have found evidence of tool use to butcher animals and other hominids, the first evidence of cannibalism in a hominid species. Evidence of fire has also been found at the site, suggesting they cooked their meat. Atapuerca, also known as Sierra de Atapuerca or Sierra Atapuerca, is an ancient karst topography region of Spain, containing several caves such as the Gran Dolina site, where fossils and stone tools of the one of the earliest known hominids in Europe have been found, dating to between 780,000... Gran Dolina is a cave site in the Atapuerca region of Spain, where archaeologists have found five or six hominids dating to between 800,000 to 1 million years ago. ... Binomial name Homo erectus Dubois, 1894 Subspecies Homo erectus palaeojavanicus Homo erectus soloensis Homo erectus (upright man) is a hominid species that is believed to be an ancestor of modern humans. ... Binomial name Homo heidelbergensis Schoetensack, 1908 Homo heidelbergensis is an extinct species of the genus Homo and the common ancestor of both Neanderthal man (Homo neanderthalensis) and Cro-Magnon man (Homo sapiens). ... Binomial name Homo antecessor Bermudez de Castro et al. ... Modern hammer A tool is, among other things, a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... Categories: Stub | Cooking | Food preparation and serving related occupations | Food preparation occupations ... Cannibalism in Brazil in 1557 as described by Hans Staden. ... A large bonfire Fire is a form of combustion. ...

Also in Atapuerca, is the site at Sima de los Huesos, or “Pit of Bones.” Excavators have found the remains of 30 hominids dated to about 400,000 years ago. The remains have been tentatively classified as Homo heidelbergensis and may be ancestors of the Neanderthals. No evidence of habitation has been found at the site except for one stone hand-ax, and all of the remains at the site are of young adults or teenagers. The age similarity suggests the remains were not the result of accidents. The seemingly deliberate placement of remains and lack of habitation may mean that the bodies were deliberately interred in the pit as a place of burial, which would make the site the first evidence of hominid burial. Binomial name Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864 The Neanderthal or Neandertal was a species of genus Homo (Homo neanderthalensis) that inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia from about 230,000 to 29,000 years ago (in the Middle Palaeolithic, early Stone Age). ...

Spain was also the first country where remains of Neanderthals were found when a Neanderthal skull was found in Forbes’s Quarry in Gibraltar in 1848. However, Neanderthals were not recognized as another species until the discovering of remains in Neandertal, Germany in 1856. Subsequent Neanderthal discoveries in Gibraltar have also been made including the skull of a 4 year old child and preserved excrement on top of baked mussel shells. 1848 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Orders A mussel is a bivalve mollusc that can be found in lakes, rivers, creeks, intertidal areas, and throughout the ocean. ...

Neanderthal remains have been found at other sites within Spain including Zafarraya where a Neanderthal mandible and Mousterian tools, associated with the Neanderthal culture, were found in 1995. The mandible was dated to 30,000 years ago and the tools to 27,000. These dates make the Zafarraya remains the youngest evidence of Neanderthals and have expanded the timeline of Neanderthal existence. The more recent dating of the remains also provides the first evidence for prolonged co-existence between Neanderthals and modern man. Some have also suggested that the newer remains in Spain suggest Neanderthals were driven out of Central Europe by modern man to the Iberian peninsula were they sought refuge. Zafarraya is a town in Granada, Andalusia, Spain, with a population of 2,200 (2003). ... This article is about the human bone. ... Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to style of flint tools (or industry) dating to the Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The terms Modern World, Modern Period, New World, Modern Times, Progressive Age, Modern Age, or Modern Era are recognized by historians as being that period of time commencing after the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, after the mid-18th century. ... Historical lands and provinces in Central Europe Central Europe is the region of Europe between Eastern Europe and Western Europe. ... topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ...

Stone Age Modern Man

Dolmen de Menga (c.2500 BC), Antequera, Andalucia, Spain

Modern men appeared in Spain about 35,000 years ago. At this time, the Aurignacian culture dominated Europe. L'Arbreda Cave in Catalonia contains Aurignacian cave paintings, as well as earlier remains from Neanderthals. Around 20,000 years ago the Aurignacian culture was replaced by that of the Solutreans, who produced some of the finest flint work of the Stone Age allowing them to produce lighter projectile weapons, among other advantages. Despite the superior production abilities of the Solutrean culture, it was replaced by the Magdalenian culture around 17,000 years ago. The Magdalenians period marked the height of cave painting. Download high resolution version (900x615, 211 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (900x615, 211 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Aurignacian is the name of a culture of the Upper Palaeolithic present in Europe and south west Asia. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ... Cave, or rock, paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to pre_historic times. ... Pebble beach made up of flint nodules eroded out of the nearby chalk cliffs, Cape Arkona, Rügen Flint (or flintstone) is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline silica rock with a glassy appearance. ... Stone Age fishing hook. ... The Magdalenian, also spelt Magdalénien, refers to one of the later culture of the Upper Palaeolithic in western Europe. ...

By far the most significant cave painting site in Spain is Altamira, dated from about 16,000 to 9,000 BC. Altamira is part of the Cantabrias region where many more caves with paintings have been found. In Altamira, excavators have found evidence of human occupation alongside the paintings. These artifacts include evidence of Solutrean occupation in addition to the Magdalenians, to whom most of the painting is attributed to. The Magdalenians used charcoal, ochre, haematite, and animal fat to produce the elaborate display in the cave, the most noteworthy part of which is the Polychrome Ceiling, with many images of bison and other animals. In addition to the grand scale of the paintings, the Stone Age artists also used comparatively advanced artistic techniques. Because of the cave paintings’ scale and quality, some have called Altamira the “The Sistine Chapel of Quaternary art." Altamira is a cave in Spain famous for its cave paintings. ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents of animal and vegetable substances. ... Ochre or Ocher (pronounced OAK-ur, from the Greek ochros, yellow) is a color, usually described as golden-yellow or light yellow brown. ... Hematite (AE) or haematite (BE) is the mineral form of Iron (III) oxide, (Fe2O3), one of several iron oxides. ... Fat is one of the three main classes of food and, at approximately 38 kJ (9 kilocalories) per gram, as compared to sugar with 17 kJ (4 kcal) per gram or ethanol with 29 kJ (7 kcal) per gram, the most concentrated form of metabolic energy available to humans. ... The name bison refers to several large bovine mammals: American bison - Bison bison Wisent or European bison - Bison bonasus Steppe Wisent Bison priscus - extinct Frequently confused with bison: Aurochs - Bos primigenius It also refers to several other things: GNU bison is a compiler compiler similar to Yacc. ...

The Magdalenians were replaced by the Azilian culture around 10,000 years ago. The Azilians were the final Paleolithic culture to occupy Spain and extended their time span into the Mesolithic age. During the Mesolithic period, cave art continued to advance, especially in the Levant area of Spain. The Azilian is a name given by archaeologists to an industry of the terminal Palaeolithic and early Mesolithic in northern Spain and south western France. ... The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) is the period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. ... The Levant is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia to the east. ...

Spain has many ruins of megalithic monuments created during the Neolithic period and continued into the Chalcolithic or Copper Age. The monuments share many similarities with other Megalithic structures throughout Europe, including those in Brittany and Malta. Dolmens are an especially common structure built by the Neolithic Spaniards. Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. ... Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical duchy and French province, as well as the cultural area of Brittany. ... T shaped Hunebed D27 in Borger-Odoorn, Netherlands, recent. ...

The Metal Ages

Several different cultural groups inhabited Spain before the arrival of colonizers, and eventually, the Romans. Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ...

The Beaker People spread throughout Europe c. 2000 BC and carried with them knowledge of metal work and their unique pottery designs. The group may have originated in Spain or Portugal. The Beaker people (or `Beaker folk) were an archaeological culture present in prehistoric Europe, defined by a pottery style -- a beaker with a distinctive bell-shaped profile -- that many archeologists believe spread across the western part of the Continent during the 3rd millennium BC. The pottery is particularly prevalent in... Metalworking is the craft and practice of working with metals to create parts or structures. ... A man shapes pottery as it turns on a wheel. ...

The Vascon people inhabited northern Spain from an unknown date. The Vascons were mentioned by the Romans upon their arrival to Spain. The Vascons were likely the ancestors of the modern Basque people whose language, probably the descendent of the Vascon language, has been a linguistic enigma. The language is outside the regionally dominant Indo-European family and has no similarities with other language families. Some have suggested that the origins of the Basque language extend far back into the Stone Age. The Vascons (Latin : Vascones) were an ancient people who, before the arrival of the Romans, inhabited the region in what is now Spain, north of the Ebro river (present day Navarre). ... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ... The Basques (Basque: euskaldunak, i. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ...

The Los Millares culture developed in the third millennium B.C. Centered on the Los Millares site, the culture spread throughout Andalucia and eastern Spain. The Los Millares site contained a complex defensive system with multiple rings of walls and a necropolis with a false dome. Los Milares is the name of a Chalcolithic occupation site 17km outside Almeria in the Spanish province of Andalucia. ... Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andaluc a por s , para Espa a y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  - total  - % of Spain Ranked 2nd 87 268 km 17,2% Population  - Total (2003)  - % of Spain  - Density Ranked 1st 7 478 432 17,9% 85,70...

The Los Millares culture fell to the El Argar culture, which lasted from c. 1800 B.C. to c. 1400 B.C. The El Argar mined extensively for their metal working, including bronze work. The culture disappeared abruptly in 1400 B.C. Bronze figurine, found at Öland Bronze is the traditional name for a broad range of alloys of copper. ...

Another Spanish lost civilization were the Tartessos, now known only through historical references and scattered artifacts. The Tartessos people had advanced knowledge of both metal working and navigation. They sailed to the British isles to trade for tin and other metals. They then traded these with Phoenicians who, possibly as early as 1100 B.C., established the city of Cadiz as a trading post. Tartessos disappeared in the sixth century B.C. Nothing of Tartessos remains except scattered artifacts and historical references by classical civilizations. The city is thought to have been at the mouth of the Guadalquivir river and now likely lies beneath its marshy delta. Tartessos (also Tartessus) was a harbor city on the south coast of Spain, at the mouth of the Guadalquivir. ... The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 5, p Appearance silvery lustrous gray Atomic mass 118. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... This article is about the Spanish city. ... Guadalquivir is the second longest river of Spain. ...

The Lady of Baza, made by Iberians or Celtiberians

The Iberians arrived in Spain sometime in the third millennium B.C. Most scholars believe the Iberians came from somewhere farther east in the Mediterranean, although some have suggested that they originated in North Africa. The Iberians settled along the eastern coast of Spain. The Iberians lived in isolated communities structured as tribes. They also had a knowledge of metal working, including bronze, and agricultural techniques. In later years, the Iberians evolved into a more complex civilization with urbanized communities and social stratification. They traded metals with the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians. Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 205 KB)Lady of Baza at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 205 KB)Lady of Baza at the Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid. ... The Dama de Baza The Lady of Baza (la Dama de Baza) is a famous example of Celtiberian art, an early Iberian female figure with traces of painted detail, found at Baza, in the altiplano, the high tableland in the northwest of the province of Granada. ... Iberia can mean: The Iberian peninsula of southwest Europe; That part of it inhabited by the Iberians, speaking the Iberian language. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Azores and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa, though they do not share a common culture with North Africa. ... Bronze figurine, found at Öland Bronze is the traditional name for a broad range of alloys of copper. ... This article is about the ancient city-state of Carthage in North Africa. ...

The Celts entered Spain through two separate migrations in the ninth and seventh centuries B.C. They generally settled along the northern part of Spain and assimilated various other groups into Celtic culture. The Celts mixed with the Iberians to form the Celtiberians who integrated the Celtic tradition and knowledge of iron working with Iberian culture. A Celtic cross. ... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ...

The Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthagians all colonized parts of Spain to facilitate trade. The Phoenicians founded Cadiz, the oldest city in Western Europe, in 1,100 B.C. The Phoenicians continued to use Cadiz as a trading post for several centuries and left a variety of artifacts, most notably a pair of sarcophaguses from around the fourth or third centuries B.C. The Greek colony at what now is Marseilles began trading with the Celtiberians on the eastern coast around the eight century B.C. The Greeks finally founded their own colony at Ampurias during the sixth century B.C. Marseilles redirects here. ...

After their defeat in the First Punic War (which ended in 241 B.C.), the Carthagians began conquering Spain to expand their empire. In the Second Punic War, Hannibal marched his armies, which included Iberians, through Spain to cross the Alps and attack the Romans in Italy. Hannibal was defeated and Carthage sacked. In 202 B.C., At the end of the Second Punic War, Carthage had lost Spain, and Rome began its conquest and occupation of the Iberian peninsula, thus beginning the era of Roman Spain. History -- Military History -- War The First Punic War was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 264 BC to 241 BC. It was the first of three major wars between the two powers for supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. ... The Second Punic War was fought between Carthage and Rome from 218 to 202 BC. It was the second of three major wars fought between the Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic, then still confined to the Italian Peninsula. ... Hannibals feat in crossing the Alps with war elephants passed into European legend: a fresco detail, ca 1510, Capitoline Museum, Rome Hannibal (247 BC – 182 BC) was a military commander of ancient Carthage, best known for his achievements in the Second Punic War in marching an army from Spain... A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the Iberian Peninsula, and to two of the three provinces they created there: Hispania Baetica and Hispania Tarraconensis (the third being Lusitania). ...

External Links

American Museum of Natural History-Atapuerca Country Studies: Spain - Iberia