Late Bronze Age - Ancient Iberia's Trading Routes

The Phoenicians were an ingenious civilization,Skilled Phoenician carpenters and wood-carvers
found of precious metals. Rumours circulated thelined the Temple walls with Phoenician cedar-wood.
Eastern Levante that a western MediterraneanExpensive, embroidered, dyed linen decorated
country had vast quantities of gold and silver. TheSolomon's Temple. Expert metallurgists laminated
territory the Phoenicians sought was: AncientSolomon's altar and the inner sanctuary with gold.
Iberia.Priceless, engraved golden artefacts adorned the
The Iberian Peninsular, criss-crossed east-to-westTemple.
by five massive mountain ranges, their averageThe Tartessians had discovered the precious
height over 600 Mts. These geographical landmassmetals but had little idea of their value. The
barriers limited Ancient Iberia's trading routes. OnlyPhoenicians were excellent at barter. First contact
the Guadalquivir River was navigable - but itwas exchanging goods on the beach. The
reached no further inland than Cordoba. ThePhoencians were not agriculturists, the Tartessians
Tartessians had settled in the south-west ofwere. Tartessians had settled around the fertile
Iberia.lands of the Guadalquivir valley.Tartessus had no
Phoenicians were renowned seafarers and hadcapital. Autonomous city-states were scattered
developed mastery in boat-building and harbourover the south west of Iberia. Tartessus
construction. They navigated following theencompassed today's provinces of: Cadiz, Sevilla,
Northern Star. Phoenicia lay where the 'sun roseHuelva and the Algarve, in Portugal. The
over the sea.' Sailing close to the shore theyTartessians were united in religious belief.
reached Tartessos.In Cancho Roano (Guadiana valley) a sacred
The Phoenicians, from eastern Levante, heardTartessian Temple was discovered .
rumour of the vast amount of silver and gold inThe Phoenicians travelled backwards and forwards
Ancient Iberia. They sailed successfully to Iberia.to Tyre, exporting vast quantities of silver, gold
Hiram, a Phoenician king who ruled from 970 toand tin. Gradually, they created settlements along
936 BC, acknowledged Hebrew King David, as athe Mediterranean coasts of Iberia and North
legitimate ruler, when he offered to build him aAfrica and they built the city of Cadiz, 1100 BC.
Temple.Phoencians discovered tin route to England but
David chose to rule from Jerusalem. He purchasedkept that a secret from the Greeks and other
land from the Phoenicians.Mediterranean traders for over three-hundred
King David was forced to fight enemies all his lifeyears.
and never saw his Temple emerge.The Greeks discovered Ampurias in the 8th
His son, Solomon remained on friendly terms withCentury BC, they named the river Ebro: Iber. The
the Phoenician King Hiram.Iberian Penincular's etymology stems from the
Work on the promised Temple finally began.name Iber. The Greeks stayed in the north of
Constructed on the hill of Zion, Solomon's TempleSpain in the Ebro valley while the Phoenicians
was completed in seven years, 960 BC. Religiouscommanded the south.
worship and sacrifice were the core-significance ofThe Tartessisians benefited from the
the Temple, (similar to Phoenician traditions).cross-cultural-orientalization.
The design of Solomon's Temple was similar toIntroduced to the potter's wheel, construction
the Phoenician Melqart-Baal Temple, in Tyre. Thetechniques, wine-making, olive-oil processing,
Tyrian Temple was splendid. Phoenician Templesapiculture, the alphabet, clothe-dying, glass
were symbolized by two lavish exterior Pillars.manufacture, tinting and engraving, sophisticated
Traditionally, one was gold, and the other pillarmetallurgy expertise and mining. These very skills
was wooden, representing Astarte, the femalebecame part of the Andalucian heritage.
(fertility) Goddess.