Iron Age Iberia and the Lost Civilization of the Tartessians
Tides of History
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The Tartesians and the Mediterranean Trade System
The indigenous peoples of southern Iberia were already experienced traders when Mediterranean traders began to show up in greater numbers around 900 BC. The Tartesians experience was oriented more toward the Atlantic of course, but they weren't naive newcomers to the world of long distance commerce and trade and prestige goods. What made the Tartesians so wealthy wasn't the fact that the rich Iberian mineral resources were located in their lands in Southern Iberia. It was that they, by virtue of inhabiting the major river roots and ports, controlled access to the Iberian interior.
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