Spain [antikvár]

HISTORY AND CULTURE HISTORY AND CULTURE The Mythical Origins In the 6th century BC a seafarer from the Phoenician settlement of Massalia (Marseille), circumnavigated the Spanish coast. The written record he left was used centuries later by the Latin poet Avienus as the basis of his Ora Marítima. This is how we know of Tartessus, the mythical kingdom on the Spanish Atlantic coast which must have been situated about where the city of Huelva now is. Tartessus was a city-state which had an advanced form of social organisation and an abundance of gold, silver and copper. Its first ruler was Geryones, the owner of the red oxen which were stolen by Hercules as one of the twelve labors he had to endure. In order to accomplish this task he had to kill the king. On either side of the gateway to the sea he set a huge pillar. The Rocks of Gibraltar and Ceuta are what has remained of them as a warning that beyond them the sea ends and its waters pour into a bottomless abyss. Be that as it may, in the 6th century BC the last king of Tartessus maintained close trade links with Greece. However, the ancestors of the settlers at Tartessus came undoubtedly from Asia Minor and Egypt. From there they made sea voyages to seek for new markets. They proceeded to settle on the coast of Almería. At Los Millares, near what is now the town of Santa Fé de Mondújar (Almería), they Preceding pages: Flamenco dancing needs practice. Alley in the Jewish Quarter of Córdoba. Olive trees as far as the eye can see. The Festival of Moors and Christians in Alcoy The moment of truth at the tail end of a bullfight. Left: The "Lady of Elche". Above: The megalithic dolmen in Antequera. founded a settlement of stone and clay dwellings which was surrounded by fortifications and, moreover, had an aqueduct and a necropolis. From here these peoples spread all across Andalusia and the Levante. Halfway between Almería and the mining center at Tartessus, the megalithic dolmen of Antequera was found. In addition, the strange Balearic taulas and talayots date from this period. Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians It can be safely assumed that trade links between the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon on the coast of Asia Minor and Tartessus were formed about 1000 BC. Near their trading partners, the Phoenicians founded a settlement of their own. It was called Gadir and is today the modern city of Cádiz, which is Europe's oldest city. Later they established other centers for processing raw materials on the Mediterranean coast: Malaka (Málaga), Sexi (Almunecar) and Abdera t' • •i M •' 1