Southwestern Iberian Peninsula archaeology: latest developments in final Bronze Age-Early Iron Age

Abstract

When faced with such a wide and polemic issue as protohistorical archaeology in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, the first thing that comes to mind is the lack of knowledge and confusion on the subject. This reaction comes from the nature of information itself, which is unique and exceptional at the same time – but which makes us, in most cases, feel intimidated. The southwest Iberian Peninsula is characterized by culture, interaction, colonization, and contact, selection, innovation, and coexistence within a scenario that underwent constant reconstruction. The aim of this paper is not to solve a historical problem that has already been reviewed by great specialists, nor is it to weigh in on some of its more controversial aspects. Rather, this paper will attempt to lead the reader closer to a multifocal reality, characterized by diversity.