The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for at least 1.2 million years. Find Your Spain’s overview of Spanish history, continues in today’s article. The first part of the series dealt with the period up to approx. 4000 BC. Today we take on the time period between 4000 BC and 3000 BC.
This millennium in the settlement history of the Iberian Peninsula offers relatively few archaeological finds and written sources do not yet exist – we are thus still in prehistoric times. Nevertheless, it is during this period that we find the country’s first named civilization. It is often called Los Millares and important traces of it have been found in what is today the province of Almería, in eastern Andalusia.
In 1891, archaeologists found a village with fortifications from the Los Millares civilization in connection with building a railway. The experts have dated the find to about 3400 BC (some claim 3200 BC). It is estimated that the village, located about 17 kilometers north of the city of Almeria, had around 1000 inhabitants – in other words, it was a fairly large settlement at the time.
It is possible that the village is typical of such early civilizations in this area as one can find other modest communities established on hills surrounded by fortifications. The fortifications indicate that the settlements must have been attractive to more than the people who lived there.
Among the finds from the Los Millares civilization are also cemeteries with impressive stone monuments. Such large monuments from the Neolithic times to about the 6th century BC are often called megalithic monuments. The best known example is probably Stonehenge in England. Spain’s most famous megalithic monument is found in Guadalperal in eastern Extremadura. It appeared in a local lake during a prolonged period of drought and is often referred to as the Spanish Stonehenge.
Although Los Millares is the first named civilization of the Iberian Peninsula, there were probably several more or less contemporary civilizations, but we still know little about these.
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Los Millares is an early civilization / kingdom that had its home in the province of Almería. Traces have been found that date as far back as 3,400 BC. (perhaps 3,200 BC).
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Other places in present-day Spain where you can see traces of such early civilizations are Alberite, Los Silillos, Cabrera, Cerro de la Virgen, Montefrío, Horno de Segura, Carigüela, Terrera Ventura and Moncín.
The technological level during the period between 4000 BC and 3000 BC included copper mining. These people had also acquired the knowledge of how to make different types of weapons and tools from this metal.
Other places in present-day Spain where you can see traces of such early civilizations are Alberite, Los Silillos, Cabrera, Cerro de la Virgen, Montefrío, Horno de Segura, Carigüela, Terrera Ventura and Moncín.
The Find Your Spain team!
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