This paper will address the question of the so-called Celtici that inhabited the region known as Baeturia in southwest Iberia, and which in the Late Iron Age constituted the southernmost ‘Celtic’ communities in Europe. According to Pliny the Elder, these Celtici would have been descendants of the Celtiberians, stating that this was recognised by their language, beliefs, and the names of their oppida. Archaeology, for its part, indicates the arrival of new populations in this region in the late 5th and early 4th centuries BC, a settlement process that is particularly visible in the development of hillforts with a distinctive material culture. Some of these sites would last until the incorporation of this territory into the Roman world. However, in addition to a relatively short-lived immigration horizon, we can also observe some longer-term trends of mobility of populations between the northern Meseta and the area of southern Extremadura, a process visible, for example, in the distribution of object types such as certain fibulae and saltboxes. In this contribution, we will try to distinguish different temporalities and types of mobility, placing the evidence of the region within the wider context of migrations in Iron Age Europe.

First Author: Manuel Fernández-Götz

Co-Authors: Luis Berrocal-Rangel , Lucía Ruano Posada

Keywords:
Iron Age
Southwest Iberia
Celtici
Migration