Mediterranean exotica and the fabric of Early Iron Age society in Western Iberia (8th – 5th centuries BCE)

Abstract

The Phoenician presence in the Iberian Peninsula significantly broadened the range of Mediterranean exotic and prestige goods available to local communities. The nature and role of these goods changed over time but also differed from area to area; a careful consideration of these imports therefore sheds significant light on the different historical trajectories of regional communities, as well as on the ideological underpinnings of their social and political structures.

Keywords

• Phoenician Trade
• Early Iron Age
• Exotica
• Consumption
• “Orientalizing” Period