PHOENICIANS AND CARTHAGINIANS IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
e(recreation of Malaka, a Phoenician colony that's now Málaga)
The oldest recount available of Phoenicians in Iberia is the foundation of the city of Gadir, one of the oldest cities in Western Europe and modern-day Cádiz, in the 9th century BC by Tyre. This city was a powerhouse not only in Phoenician and Punic times, but also during Roman domination and in Modern history. It was famous for its Melqart / Hercules temple, and the biggest remnants nowadays lie in the Castillo de Doña Blanca archaeological site, in the mainland. Here are recreations of its Phoenician past and some ruins (I'll also talk about it later in the Roman Hispania posts):
The Phoenicians also founded the enclaves of Malaka, Sexi, Sa Caleta, and La Fonteta, all in the route to Gadir. Ibiza island was a very important Phoenician stronghold. All Phoenician colonies had the same type of location in the coast and / or islands off the coastline, emulating the main Phoenician cities. Here are some pics of them, plus some archaeological findings:
In 573 BC Tyre fell, and Carthage became the powerhouse that subsittuted the Phoenicians in the Mediterranean. During the Punic era, some cities were abandoned, others gained more importance, and there were also new foundations. Gadir and Malaka became even more relevant and prosperous during this time, and other cities like Baria, Abdera and Ebussus flourished. While Gadir was still strong in the worship of Melqart, Ebussus had a strong conection with the Egyptian god Bes. Again, here are some pics and archaeological findings, which include sanctuaries and necropolis:
Finally, after the First Punic War, the Barca family started a process of conquest of the iberian peninsula with a series of campaigns and militar actions that prompted the Second Punic War and Carthage's defeat. In the Second Punic War, Rome set foot on Hispania, and the process of Romanization in Iberia started. Here's a map of the Barca family's conquests (in purple) and campaigns:
During this time, they continued founding more cities, namely Qart Hadasht (roman Carthago Nova and modern Cartagena), founded by Hasdrubal and the capital of the punics in Iberia. This city will continue to be important during the Roman times, so I'll talk about it later.
(recreation of Qart Hadasht, with Hasdrubal's palace up front)
Other important cities during this final punic era were Gadir, Carmo, Carteia, and Akra Leuke.
