Tartessus
Tartessus was an ancient kingdom located in southwestern Spain, primarily along the lower and middle reaches of the river Baetis, now known as the Guadalquivir. This region was renowned for its wealth, attributed to its significant commercial interactions with Phoenicians and Carthaginians, involving the trade of valuable resources such as silver and tin. The capital city of Tartessus, bearing the same name, was a key hub for these trading activities and is believed to have been situated near the river's mouth, although its exact location remains a mystery despite various archaeological efforts.
The civilization of Tartessus emerged from the influence of Greek and Phoenician cultures on local indigenous populations. Notable connections include interactions with the Ionian Greeks, particularly the relationship between King Arganthonius and traders from Phocaea. Legends surrounding Tartessian kings, such as Habis, who was credited with teaching agriculture and claimed divine status, contribute to the mythology of the region. Additionally, Tartessus is sometimes linked to the biblical Tarshish, known for its maritime trade, which included shipments of silver and other metals. By around 500 BC, the kingdom faced decline, likely due to the expansion of Phoenician power, which led to the destruction of its capital. Tartessus remains an intriguing subject for those interested in ancient trade dynamics and cultural exchanges in the Mediterranean.
Tartessus
Tartessos
A region and kingdom of southwestern Spain, centered on the lower and middle reaches of the river Baetis (itself sometimes known as the Tartessus, now the Guadalquivir); although the name was also, on occasion, loosely applied to the whole of Spain, and even to western Europe in general. The kingdom's commercial relations with the Phoenicians and Carthaginians (notably by way of Sardinia, Sicily and Cyprus), and the procurement of tin from Callaecia (Galicia, northwest Spain) and perhaps also from Galicia, Brittany and Britain (Scilly Islands, Cornwall), contributed to its proverbial wealth: and excavations have been specially directed to the Ria de Huelva, where metals were mined. The capital of the state of Tartessus was a city bearing the same name. Numerous attempts have been made to locate its site, both in ancient times—as recounted by Strabo—and more recently, but without success. It probably lay near the river mouth.
This town was the principal outlet for the rich silver mines of southwestern Spain. The civilization of the kingdom seems to have been created by the impact of Greece and Phoenicia on its indigenous populations. About 640/630 BC Colaeus of Samos traveled to its port, and took home silver, tin, bronze. But it was another group of Ionians, from Phocaea (Foca), who c 600 established relations with King Arganthonius of Tartessus, stated by Herodotus to have reigned for eighty years; and he gave them money to erect a wall around Phocaea for its defence against the Persians. The names of other Tartessian kings are known, and many legends gathered around their personalities and careers. One, Habis, was said by Justin to have taught his people agriculture, and attributions of Geryon's mythical cattle to the region illustrate one of the sources of its wealth. Habis, who allegedy proclaimed himself a god, was believed to have been a legislator, and local legends recorded that the laws of Tartessus were 6,000 years old and had been written in verse. The traditions of the kingdom took the fancy of the poets Stesichorus (5th–6th centuries) and Anacreon (born c 570).
Although strong arguments to the contrary have been put forward, it may perhaps be identifiable with the Biblical Tarshish (Tarsisi in Assyrian inscriptions), of which the ships, as early as King Solomon's time (tenth century), were said to have traveled as far afield as the Red Sea. At first Tarshish was only dimly localized; by the seventh century, however, it is already set in the western Mediterranean, being named in an early Phoenician dedication found at Nora in Sardinia. In the following century the Jewish prophet Ezekiel wrote of the silver, iron, tin and lead that came from Tarshish to Tyre (Es-Sur) in Phoenicia, and Jeremiah described the `silver, beaten into plates, that is brought from Tarshish’: this silver had been exported to Greek lands from c 630 BC.
Tartessus exerted a powerful influence—notably through its transmission of Greek pottery—on the civilized native populations throughout a wide area of southern and southeastern Spain. In particular, the chieftain burials of Lower Andalusia seem to reflect the world of the Tartessian monarchs. Their trading activities also extended to the less advanced peoples of the center and north of the peninsula. In about 500, however, the capital was probably destroyed by the Phoenicians, whose expansion it had hindered.